Australian opposition deputy leader Richard Marls explains his numerous visits to the Chinese embassy over the past five years, despite not holding a shadow foreign policy portfolio. I was forced to do it.
According to Australian newspaper reports, Mars has been involved with Chinese diplomats at least 10 times since 2017, despite the deteriorating bilateral relations between Australia and China.
Labor’s senior shadow minister continues to question his involvement with the Chinese Communist Party, including writing a short book claiming a stronger presence from Beijing in the Pacific region.
Mars told reporters on May 13 that the federal government was aware of the meeting and supported it.
“There was no secret in what I was doing and I couldn’t be more transparent,” he said. “All this is pretty desperate and a little ridiculous.”
“I hope the government focuses on relations in the Pacific as much as my diary,” he added, adding that he maintained relations with all Canberra’s diplomatic corps. “I have met the US Ambassador nearly 30 times.”
However, Foreign Minister Marie’s Payne revealed at the National Press Club later that day that she had only been informed about a “minority” of Marls’ meeting with China, and her office did not allow the meeting. , Make a note of it.
Marls was allegedly warned by Peter Jennings, director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, about trying to improve relations with Beijing through positive rhetoric and diplomacy.
The deputy leader has spent much of the campaign to fend off questions about his involvement with Beijing, including his 2019 speech at the Beijing University of Foreign Studies, where he claimed stronger ties.
“Defining China as an enemy is a serious mistake. It’s stupid and ignorant to talk about the new Cold War,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister’s speech was given by the Australian Government under former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to prevent Huawei from participating in Huawei’s 5G network in 2018 during the Trump administration’s heyday of the U.S.-China trade war. I followed the decision.
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Daniel Y. Teng is based in Sydney. He focuses on national politics, including federal politics, COVID-19 response, and relations between Australia and China. Do you have a hint? Contact him at [email protected]