Thread: China envoy threatens Australia boycott over virus inquest demand

China's ambassador in Australia has warned that demands for a probe into the spread of the coronavirus could lead to a consumer boycott of Aussie wine or trips Down Under.


Australia has joined the United States in calling for a thorough investigation of how the virus transformed from a localised epidemic in central China into a pandemic that has killed more than 200,000 people, forced billions into isolation and torpedoed the global economy.


In a thinly veiled threat, ambassador Cheng Jingye warned the push for an independent inquest into the origins of the outbreak was "dangerous".


"The Chinese public is frustrated, dismayed and disappointed with what Australia is doing now," he claimed in an interview with the Australian Financial Review published on Sunday.


"If the mood is going from bad to worse, people would think 'why should we go to such a country that is not so friendly to China?' The tourists may have second thoughts," he added.


"It is up to the people to decide. Maybe the ordinary people will say 'Why should we drink Australian wine? Eat Australian beef?'"


Cheng also threatened the flow of Chinese students to Australian universities, a key source of revenue that is already under threat from pandemic travel restrictions.


"The parents of the students would also think whether this place which they found is not so friendly, even hostile, whether this is the best place to send their kids here," he said.


The comments mark a significant escalation in tensions between Beijing and Canberra, whose relations are already strained.


They also reflect the willingness of a new generation of Chinese diplomats to aggressively and publicly push Communist Party interests, using Chinese economic might as leverage if necessary.


Experts have said a full investigation into the coronavirus outbreak could prompt scrutiny of China's rulers and their response to the crisis, and open the door for the type of criticism of the Party that is rarely tolerated.


Cheng also accused Australia of echoing talking points from the United States.


"Some guys are attempting to blame China for their problems and deflect the attention," he said.


"It's a kind of pandering to the assertions that are made by some forces in Washington."

AFP.com

Using economic might as leverage to aggressively and publicly push state interests. How very Trumpian.

But using economic might as leverage is not a new thing and is not limited to one country or one leader.

Same as it ever was.*







* Hat tip to Jeff.

They pressured the EU into toning down their COVID report on China

Damn, cancel that chow mein.

Damn Chinky Troublemakers...
They're Everywhere.

Chinky BLACKMAILERS, Jeff.

BLACKMAILERS.

Originally Posted by Neverna

But using economic might as leverage is not a new thing and is not limited to one country or one leader.

I hope you did not want to point to the oil/gas supplies to EU...

Can't find the link right now but Aussie gave them the two finger salute.

The chinkies don't like being held to account for sure.

Subscribe to read | Financial Times

China complained to the EU at least three times and warned bilateral relations would be hit should the bloc publicly accuse it of spreading coronavirus crisis propaganda, according to European officials.

The Communist government made the protests last week after details emerged of an internal EU report that pointed to evidence of Beijing using “both overt and covert tactics” in a “global disinformation campaign” to avoid blame for the pandemic.

The diplomatic pressure highlights China’s strong pushback against accusations from Europe that it is attempting to use the health emergency to sow division and make strategic gains. The EU published some elements of the internal disinformation report in a toned-down form late on Friday, after a behind-the-scenes row between officials over what to include.

The warnings from Beijing came after the news organisation Politico reported excerpts from the EU disinformation report on Tuesday. One complaint was made at political counsellor level to the EU diplomatic service’s headquarters in Brussels and two by the Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing, European officials said.

Wang Lutong, the Chinese foreign ministry director-general for Europe, called Nicolas Chapuis, EU ambassador in Beijing, European officials briefed on the matter said. Mr Wang denied China was spreading disinformation and said he was alarmed by reports that the European bloc was about to issue a statement criticising his country. He said that if the EU were to follow the US in publicly attacking China, it would be pushed back as the US had been, adding that this would be unfortunate.

Mr Chapuis responded that it was the EU’s duty to document disinformation from China and other countries, adding that such activity should be countered and stopped, the European officials said.

One country exploiting another country’s natural resources. Where have I heard that before?

China needs the western trade to support continued growth. I’m pleased to hear the Australians have told them to get stuffed.

You do realise the Chinese have nearly bought Australia don't you.

Originally Posted by Switch

China needs the western trade to support continued growth. I’m pleased to hear the Australians have told them to get stuffed.

The urban legend/myths back in my day were the Aus wineries were all owned by the Frogs, the Aus golf courses owned by the Japanese, the AUS government owned by the CIA.


Was that ever a true thing?
Maybe Chico will know.

The world shouldn't be scared to say what everybody knows. Publish and be damned!

av a go and see what happens

Nice reporting . . . in the SMH (Sydney Morning Herald)


China's man in Canberra has unmasked the regime's true face


Ambassador Cheng Jingye has done Australia a great service. He has taken off the mask.
China's ambassador has shown us the true face of the Chinese government's feeling for Australia.
The Chinese Communist Party for years has been working systematically to undermine Australia's sovereignty. To "take over" our political system, in the words of Australia's former national security adviser and ASIO chief, Duncan Lewis.
But the Chinese regime always kept the smiling mask of friendship in place. President Xi Jinping told Australia's Parliament in 2014 that the two countries should "be harmonious neighbours who stick together in both good times and bad times".
Well, the bad times are now upon us, courtesy of the made-in-China pandemic. And what has China's official representative in Canberra done? Ambassador Cheng has openly threatened Australia with trade boycotts.
Why? Because Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week dared to suggest an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. "The Chinese public is frustrated, dismayed and disappointed with what Australia is doing now," Cheng said in an interview with The Australian Financial Review's Andrew Tillett, published on Monday.
"If the mood is going from bad to worse, people would think, 'Why should we go to such a country that is not so friendly to China? The tourists may have second thoughts.


"The parents of the students would also think whether this place which they found is not so friendly, even hostile, whether this is the best place to send their kids here.


"It is up to the people to decide. Maybe the ordinary people will say, 'Why should we drink Australian wine? Eat Australian beef?'"
Cheng said that it was a political move in league with the US: "So what is being done by the Australia side, the proposition is a kind of teaming up with those forces in Washington and to launch a kind of political campaign against China."
He said the idea of an inquiry was "dangerous". His overall position is foolish. But his claim that the proposed inquiry could be "dangerous" is just hilarious. Who's the dangerous actor here?


Is it China? The country whose reckless indifference to public health again inflicted a zoonotic plague on the world, so far infecting 3 million people and killing more than 200,000 in 210 countries? Or is it Australia, for suggesting an inquiry?


Cheng Jingye suggested there would be consequences if Australia pressed ahead with calls for an inquiry into the origins of the pandemic.CREDIT:ALEX ELLINGHAUSEN


And if Cheng thinks the idea of an inquiry might be dangerous to China's authorities, it suggests the Beijing regime has a lot to hide.


As for the foolishness of Cheng's position, it's threefold. First, he's been foolish enough to expose the reality of Beijing's intentions towards Australia. The CCP seeks dominance, through any means possible. This has long been the reality of the Xi regime. I recounted examples of China's economic coercion against 11 countries in my Quarterly Essay, Red Flag, published last year.
But, to now, the party's functionaries have delivered their threats and pressure tactics in private and coercion has never been declared openly. Now we all see the truth – there is no goodwill, only gangsterism.
Second, "it's a pretty inept piece of Wolf Warrior diplomacy because he's huffing and puffing after the house has already blown down – China has already done more damage to our economy than any boycotts could," says Rory Medcalf, head of the ANU's National Security College. Wolf Warrior was a hugely popular piece of Chinese hypernationalist cinema released in 2017.


And third, Cheng's comments are foolish because an open attempt to intimidate Morrison can only serve to rally Australia around the Prime Minister.
The Foreign Affairs Minister, Marise Payne, coolly rejected "any suggestion that economic coercion is an appropriate response to a call for such an assessment, when what is needed is global co-operation".
Critically, the opposition foreign affairs spokesperson, Labor's Penny Wong, stood firm with the government. "I'd make the point that the Chinese ambassador spoke about not wanting to resort to recrimination, division and suspicion and what I'd say is that's precisely why we are supporting a call for an independent inquiry into the origin of the virus," she said. "We have to press what is right, what we believe is right, for us and for the international community, and making sure that humanity understands how this virus started is the right thing to do."
Even Australia's business leaders, consistent Beijing boosters, can not possibly support China on this.
But Cheng's foolishness is Australia's fortune. It is now plain for all to see that the CCP is waging political war on Australia, using trade as a weapon. This is Australia's moment of clarity. Australia has allowed itself to become more dependent on Chinese trade today than it has on any single nation since Britain in the 1960s and 1970s.


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That ended in profound shock when Britain cut its trade preferences with Australia to join the European Common Market in 1973. We failed to remember our history and we have repeated our error.
Now the virus, and the Chinese Communist Party's conduct, have exposed the urgent imperative for Australia to diversify its risk and defend its sovereignty.
Australia does not accept threats and intimidation from any other nation as the basis for relations. Thank you, Ambassador Cheng, for removing the mask so that we can all clearly see the features of the gangster beneath.
Peter Hartcher is international editor.

Unless these commie, yellow bellied, slant-eyed, rice-gobbling gits front up to the world with full transparency on every aspect of their plague, its origins, its management and its evident concealment and obfuscation, we should send the little yellow fuckrs back to the stone age.

^ Stop beating around the bush, sitting on the fence . . . tell us how you really feel

Originally Posted by Cheng

'Why should we drink Australian wine? Eat Australian beef?'

Originally Posted by Cheng

"The parents of the students would also think whether this place which they found is not so friendly, even hostile, whether this is the best place to send their kids here.

he is of course referring to rich chins

his comments have come at a great time and should help in reoganising the australian universities and stop them catering to rich overseas whelps and look to taking care of the australian yoof first

Originally Posted by baldrick

he is of course referring to rich chins

Literally the 0.1%ers

Originally Posted by Neverna

Using economic might as leverage to aggressively and publicly push state interests. How very Trumpian.

But using economic might as leverage is not a new thing and is not limited to one country or one leader.

Same as it ever was.*

All true but you forgot to include your brothers

Using economic/oil might as leverage to aggressively and publicly push religious interests and beliefs. How very Islamic.

But using economic/oil might as leverage is not a new thing and is not limited to one country or one leader.

Same as it ever was.

27.04.2020 Saudi Arabia stops death penalty for people who committed crimes as minors.

@ Neverna Awaiting your red for being spot on again

"If the mood is going from bad to worse, people would think, 'Why should we go to such a country that is not so friendly to China? The tourists may have second thoughts.


"The parents of the students would also think whether this place which they found is not so friendly, even hostile, whether this is the best place to send their kids here.


"It is up to the people to decide. Maybe the ordinary people will say, 'Why should we drink Australian wine? Eat Australian beef?'"



True though, innit?


Awkward fact. Certain sectors of the Australian media & political sector (especially the Right wing of the Liberal party) plus campus idiots could do Australian national interests significant damage if they take this China baiting thing too far.


p.s:- Hardly a blood curdling threat, but a vaguely implied threat. If you want to know how quickly Chinese visitors can evaporate, just look at Thailand.

Originally Posted by panama hat

just don't have all the relevant info

Maybe you should have a little look around and just see what the Chinese actually own in Oz

And i have nothing to prove about Greece I was the one who said Greece got shafted.

Originally Posted by sabang

If you want to know how quickly Chinese visitors can evaporate

there will be no visitors for a year except for locals and maybe some sheep shaggers

Originally Posted by OhOh

Open up with the 5 inch gun and teach the buggers a lesson.

the FFG ( seppo walter perry class ) has a phalanx CIWS which would be much more entertaining

Originally Posted by Chico

Maybe you should have a little look around and just see what the Chinese actually own in Oz

Educated people already know, they don't need guidance from . . . you.

But I will quote you again:

Originally Posted by Chico

You do realise the Chinese have nearly bought Australia don't you.

Fact is that the 'Chinese' haven't "nearly bought Australia"

Originally Posted by Chico

And i have nothing to prove about Greece I was the one who said Greece got shafted.

You were wrong, as usual, and were told so by other posters. You were wrong. Live with it instead of trying to justify every brainfart you have