The Australian city of Wagga Wagga has moved to formally sever ties with its sister cities in China, based on a report that says the country’s regime is responsible for “death and destruction” from the COVID-19 outbreak.
The council vote was pushed through with the support of three conservative councilors, while others, including Wagga Wagga Mayor Greg Conkey, were absent or unable to vote.
Wes Fang, a Wagga Wagga-based National Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, said that the decision was “nothing short of appalling.”
Wagga Wagga Councilor Paul Funnell, a former president of the Democratic Labour Party, tabled a report to Tuesday night’s council meeting proposing to end the sister city relationship with China’s Kunming, as well as friendly relationships with the city of Tieling and Jiangsu Province.
“We are therefore in relations with the totalitarian communist regime of the People’s Republic of China,” Funnell wrote.
“This is the same Chinese communist government that delights in lies, subterfuge and coverups, for example by now trying to claim that the US military is responsible for the spread of COVID-19. This very regime has brought death and destruction across the world with COVID-19,” he wrote.
“We must show solidarity with all the victims of COVID-19, health care workers, frontline services, and also to our sister city and friends in places such as Fort Leavenworth in the United States. We must not show solidarity with the very regime that bears ultimate responsibility,” he wrote.
Given the way the vote was passed — a three-three tie, decided by the casting vote of an acting chair — it will likely be subject to a rescission motion in the coming weeks.
Vanessa Keenan, one of three councilors to oppose the motion, said that she was appalled by the motion.
“It’s disgraceful that fear and hatred are being fueled in our community by this meaningless action,” she said.
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