Is the Pope a Catholic? First, via The Australian:
Bill Shorten has defended Premier Daniel Andrews for joining China’s Belt and Road Initiative, arguing the deal was part of the “normal day to day work” of state politicians.
The Opposition Leader said he was not surprised Mr Andrews released the memorandum of understanding over the weekend, after facing pressure from Scott Morrison and State Liberal leader Matthew Guy to make the document public before the November 24 election.
Mr Shorten, who also called for Victoria to release the MOU “over time”, said the contents of the agreement showed the concern of Victoria joining the controversial program was “much hyped”.
Is that leadership or is it something else? Also at The Australian:
“I firmly believe that issues in relation to One Belt One Road and the relationships between China and the Australian government should be at the (national) government-to-government level,” she told reporters in Brisbane.
Ms Palaszczuk has frequently upbraided the federal government over its refusal to fund her government’s favoured infrastructure projects, such as Brisbane Cross-River Rail.
Ms Palaszczuk said state governments should instead forge relationships with sub-national governments, such as Queensland’s 30-year sisterhood with Shanghai.
Quite right. In truth, it’s not just Labor, Australia is riven by China. At the AFR:
Japanese, Australian and US government finance agencies have agreed to provide joint funding for infrastructure projects in the Indo-Pacific, amid concern China is using its Belt and Road Initiative to extend Beijing’s influence across the region.
The agencies met in Tokyo on Monday to sign a memorandum of understanding after a deal was struck between the three countries to set up a trilateral partnership for infrastructure investment in July. The MoU states infrastructure, energy and natural resources will be priority sectors for co-operation. Some initial investment projects could be announced on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation meeting in Port Moresby this week.
Or is it, also at the AFR:
Australia would be willing to co-fund infrastructure projects with China, using its newly announced $2 billion package as leverage, if it helped with regional stability, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
Speaking to The Australian Financial Review before his departure to Singapore for the East Asia Summit, Mr Morrison said Australia should not feel the need to choose between competing regional giants, the United States and China but, as John Howard did, seek to elevate both relationships in parallel.
Or is it, at Domainfax:
Richard McGregor, a China expert at independent foreign relations thinktank the Lowy Institute, said the government’s decision to leave the door open for a restructured proposal sends a message to China without damaging Sino-Australian relations.
“I think the Chinese understand a lot of the decisions we take,” Mr McGregor said during the UBS Australasia Conference in Sydney on Monday.
“If we look at APA, would the Chinese allow a single foreign company to have a virtual monopoly of the energy distribution within China? Absolutely no way.
The headless chook bolts on, then. But Labor does still have an inordinate number of senior China apologists on the take.
