Beijing courts big business in intimate Sydney dinner
A top Chinese official dined with business chiefs over Beef Wellington and glasses of South Australian red in Sydney on Tuesday night in the latest sign of thawing relations. Australia China Business Council (ACBC) president David Olsson hosted an intimate Sydney dinner with China's leadership at King & Wood Mallesons' offices in Governor Phillip Tower. He discussed issues on which China would never compromise, such as Taiwan and Hong Kong, and said there would be opportunities for Australian businesses, particularly those involved with education, healthcare and green energy under Mr Xi’s 2035 “modernisation” drive. Mr Ma also made it clear there were issues that China would not compromise on which they would not. During the dinner, Mr Ma raised concerns about Ms Cheng, who was taken into custody in Beijing in August 2020, and urged universities to ensure the federal government made them feel welcome. There are hopes the Chinese and Australian education ministers will meet in coming months.
ที่ตีพิมพ์ : 2 ปีที่แล้ว โดย Michael Smith ใน World
“He asked us what are the sore points and what is really irking you about the relationship. We gave him a very frank response on a lot of those issues,” Australia China Business Council (ACBC) president David Olsson, who hosted the event at law firm King & Wood Mallesons’ offices in Governor Phillip Tower, said.
“It reflects an understanding on the part of China that they have to deal differently with us. Ma’s real message was that China was ready to move forward. I took that as a very clear statement of a genuine desire to better understand where we are coming from.”
Mr Ma made it clear there were issues on which China would never compromise, such as Taiwan and Hong Kong, but there was no sign of the Wolf Warrior-style diplomacy which has become a trademark of Mr Xi’s leadership. China’s concerns about the AUKUS submarine deal was not a focus of talks.
He said there would be opportunities for Australian businesses, particularly those involved with education, healthcare and green energy under Mr Xi’s 2035 “modernisation” drive, which includes Beijing’s efforts to become more technologically self-sufficient as Washington seeks to limit its access to semiconductors.
While his visit timed with a breakthrough on China’s tariffs on Australian barley, he did not discuss the trade sanctions in Sydney on Tuesday night.
“It has taken some time, but now we are on a better pathway, but Mr Ma is a pretty important guy. It is more significant than people realise. At least we are talking now, and I can be open and honest,” Mr Smith, a former Howard government minister who heads the Business Council of Australia’s global engagement committee, said.
During the dinner, Mr Smith and Mr Raby raised concerns about Ms Cheng, who was taken into custody in Beijing in August 2020. People in the room said Mr Ma took notes but did not comment on her case.
Ms Cheng’s supporters are hopeful improved relations with China will result in her release from prison, although there has been no sign of a breakthrough in her case so far.
“Trade is certainly not the only thing Australians are concerned about. Resolving this awful situation would go a long way toward gaining the support of all fair-minded Australians who wish to see Sino-Australian relations back in their rightful place,” Nick Coyle, Ms Cheng’s partner, said on Wednesday.
Mr Ma told the dinner Chinese students and their parents were concerned about their safety in Australia and urged universities to ensure the federal government made them feel welcome. It is believed his concerns were linked to a backlog in visas for students from China and other countries which the government has been racing to clear since borders reopened.
Chinese students have been arriving back in Australia in large numbers since Beijing said they could no longer do their courses remotely. There are hopes the Chinese and Australian education ministers will meet in coming months.
“China is and will remain a very strong market for our universities both in terms of our students and our research, so a positive discussion at the macro level is absolutely critical for us,” said Vicki Thomson, chief executive of Group of Eight Universities, who was at the dinner.
“It certainly makes life easier to have the discussion without the hostility from both our own government and the Chinese government.”
About 67 per cent of international students at Go8 universities were from China in 2022 and enrolments from Chinese students rose 3 per cent during the pandemic.
หัวข้อ: Beijing, Australia