China’s ambassador to Australian has criticized Canberra’s intention to return Darwin Port to local ownership, saying the Chinese company running the strategically located northern port should not be punished.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last month said during the election campaign that his government was working on a plan to force the sale of Darwin Port from its Chinese owner on national interest grounds.
Australia sold the commercial port on a 99-year lease to Chinese company Landbridge in 2015, a move that was criticized by then-US president Barack Obama. About 2,000 US Marines exercise for six months of the year in the northern city.
Photo: Reuters
Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian (肖千) said Landbridge Group had invested in the port and contributed to the local economy, according to a statement issued by the Chinese embassy on Sunday.
“Such an enterprise and project deserves encouragement, not punishment. It is ethically questionable to lease the port when it was unprofitable and then seek to reclaim it once it becomes profitable,” the statement said.
An Australian government spokesperson said that the port was not only vital to the region’s economic success, but “also a critical infrastructure asset of national importance.”
“The Australian government is working closely with the Northern Territory Government on next steps,” the spokesperson said in a statement yesterday.
Albanese said in an Australian Broadcasting Corp radio interview last month that his government wants the port to “be in Australian hands,” and would directly intervene and buy the port if it was unable to find a private buyer.
Australia is building up its northern military bases, which are to host US bombers and fighter jets on a rotational basis, as it increases defense cooperation with the US.
The awarding of the contract to Landbridge by the local government came just a few years after the US posted the first of a rotating group of US Marines in Darwin.
Landbridge last month said that the port was not for sale, and in a statement yesterday said it had “not yet received any engagement from the government at any level.”
“It is business as usual at Darwin Port, as we continue to focus on the growth of our operations,” Landbridge Australia nonexecutive director Terry O’Connor said.
Landbridge welcomed the Chinese ambassador’s comments, which came after Xiao toured the port in Darwin last week, he said.
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