It’s pretty pathetic. The editorial at The Australian leads us off:
Mr Cheng has often unwisely stuck his nose into domestic politics…Yet such indulgences by officials are not confined to Australia. In Paris, the foreign office summoned the Chinese ambassador to express disapproval about his diplomats’ claims France had simply left its older citizens to die. Beijing’s envoys have inflamed Twitter disputes in Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iran and Singapore. During the pandemic they have sparred with Brazil’s education minister and trolled officials in Cyprus and Britain. It’s a departure from the nonintervention in the affairs of other states it once prided itself on. We have watched aghast as Beijing has launched a gauche aid and propaganda offensive in nations hit hard by COVID-19, while so-called “wolf warrior” diplomats spread lies about the source of the outbreak. Last year President Xi Jinping demanded his diplomats show a new “fighting spirit”.
That’s one way of seeing the grubby campaign of the fierce cowboys, who interpret every move we make in the global sphere as done at the direction of Washington. It’s pathetic and a malign distraction from fundamental issues, such as Beijing’s rampant militarisation and brazen moves in the South China Sea. Myriad forces unleashed by the pandemic will reshape supply chains, trade and strategic policy. Of course, China will feature prominently in our future and the Indo-Pacific. But our best minds are set on reducing China dependency, exploring new frontiers and making the economy more robust and dynamic. Beijing’s secrecy and duplicity on COVID-19, however, leaves the world vulnerable, confused and suspicious — and China in cold, stark isolation. While Mr Cheng shoots from the hip, Beijing is forfeiting a chance to work with partners to restore the trust, order and co-operation that have enabled its epic economic rise.
More whinging from the Morrison Government. Trade Minister Simon Birmingham is kowtowing again following yesterday’s threats from the CCP Ambassador:
“The government has made our displeasure with those (Mr Jingye’s) remarks known.”
“Our policy positions are clear. They’re based on public health principles.”
Birmingham was asked if the ambassador would be forced into recall and he dithered. Depressionberg joined the weak bitching this morning.
More squealing at Domain:
The Australian government has blasted the Chinese embassy for breaching longstanding diplomatic protocol by releasing “purported details” of a phone call between Australia’s top diplomat Frances Adamson and the Chinese ambassador Cheng Jingye.
Ms Adamson, the secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, on Monday called Mr Cheng for an explanation over his comments that Canberra’s pursuit of a global coronavirus review could spark a Chinese boycott of universities, tourism and agriculture.
The embassy released details of the conversation on Tuesday, saying Mr Cheng rejected Australia’s concerns over his comments and “called on Australia to put aside ideological bias” and do more to promote bilateral relations.
At the ABC it’s the usual levels of multicultural groveling:
Australians should therefore take Cheng’s warning seriously — not necessarily because of what Chinese consumers might do, but because of the myriad ways in which Chinese authorities can make life difficult for Australian exporters.
CCP diplomats have been doing this with impunity for years. They deliberately spread lies about the virus, as well as abusing Australian MPs. They deliberately lied in the early days of the virus to keep the borders open while other agents of influence siphoned off PPE of which we’ve been short ever since. They are a part of routine bullying of Australian nationals. They constantly belittle and insult our other major power friends.
The CCP diplomats consistently make declarations hostile to the Australian national interest. They misuse and abuse the openness of our media. They don’t act like diplomats so much as they do active insurgents.
It’s a simple plan to intimidate and control Chinese Australians, as well as everybody else, to drive a wedge into ANZUS and conquer the joint without lifting a finger.
So far, it’s going swimmingly.
