Originally Australia #13 >>13084849
Chinese envoy defends โpanda huggersโ and blames media over โtotally ridiculousโ concerns
WILL GLASGOW - MARCH 2, 2021
A senior Chinese diplomat in Canberra has blamed the Australian media and โtotally ridiculousโ security concerns for the breakdown in Australiaโs relationship with China.
Addressing an audience of business people at a Chinese Lunar New Year dinner, Chinaโs deputy head of mission Wang Xining said the rising power would remember who was on its side during the bilateral dispute.
โHistory will prove that it is wise and visionary to be Chinaโs friends,โ said Minister Xining in the first lengthy address given by Chinaโs embassy in Canberra since he spoke at the National Press Club six months ago
Mr Wang also delivered a warning to those โpeople in Australia [who] choose to make enemies to sustain a livingโ.
โThose who deliberately vilify China and sabotage the friendship between our two countries โฆ will be [cast] aside in history,โ he said.
โTheir children will be ashamed of mentioning their names,โ he said, according to a transcript of the speech posted on the Embassyโs website.
The combative speech โ given on Thursday night at Ruby Chinese, a restaurant in Dickson that was once owned by the father of movie star Jackie Chan โ is the latest public intervention by Chinaโs Canberra embassy since the already strained bilateral relationship spiralled to historic depths last April after the Morrison government called for an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus without forewarning their Chinese counterparts.
Weeks after Foreign Minister Marise Payne first called for the inquiry on the ABCโs Insiders show, Chinaโs ambassador Cheng Jingye gave an interview in which he warned of a boycott of Australian beef, wine and universities.
โRift will hurt millionsโ
In late August โ by which time Beijing had imposed a crippling 80 per cent tariff on Australian barley exports to China, suspended multiple beef abattoirs and threatened huge tariffs for Australian wine โ Minister Wang gave a relatively conciliatory speech about the frayed relationship, which he compared to marriage.
โWhile a rift between husband and wife hurts one family, a rift between two countries will hurt millions,โ he said in August.
The next day, the Morrison government revealed legislation that allowed the federal government to rescind Victoriaโs Belt and Road deal.
In November, diplomats at Chinaโs embassy in Canberra circulated a list of 14 grievances with Australia, which included restrictions on Chinese investment, the ban on Huaweiโs involvement in the 5G network and investigations into foreign interference.
By the end of 2020, more than $20b of annual Australian exports to China โ over 10 per cent of the total โ had been banned or interfered.
Minister Wangโs latest speech โ titled โIt Is So Difficult to be Chinaโs Friends in Australia Todayโ โ was given at a dinner held by the ACT branch of the Australian China Business Council.
The Chinese diplomat said many of the business associationโs members understood his country better than most Australians.
โMaybe you donโt fully agree with our model of governance and administration, but at least you respect and understand the reason behind our development path and model of governance.โ
Media blamed for bad sentiment
Minister Wang said much of the bad sentiment in Australia towards China was the mediaโs fault.
โIf these people are immersed by those negative portraits of China by the major media outlets and brainwashed by the vulgarised and simplified political slogans, how would they understand China and agree with your assessment and impression of China.โ
He said it was now a โreally difficult time to be Chinaโs friend in Australiaโ.
โCurrently, the friends of China are given a nickname โpanda-huggerโ. It used to be a word of appreciation but now it carries derogatory meanings. It seems that being friendly to China, to be a friend of China becomes a sin and mistake in Australia.โ
In addition to the media, Minister Wang said the bilateral relationship had been undermined by the suspicions of โa small number of peopleโ, who he did not name.
โThe excuse for such suspicion is Chinaโs threats to Australian sovereignty and security, which is totally ridiculous. Because up to today no one single case has been substantiated or supported by evidence,โ he said.
โAnd based on my observation, most of those people are siphoning off Australiaโs financial coffer, and they squander on the cornucopia which is the hard-won product of the majority of Australian labour force.โ
โWhen these people were barking loud, our friends had to bite the bullet,โ he added.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/chinese-envoy-defends-panda-huggers-and-blames-media-over-totally-ridiculous-concerns/news-story/d5cac44ab06701cfcb810ce43d7ab09a