PM says Australia should cut back trade with China, as urged by G7

Robert Besser
24 May 2023, 15:18 GMT+10

Australian PM Anthony Albanese has expressed his support of a joint statement by G7 nations made in Japan, which affirmed the need to reduce the group's reliance on trade with China
The G7 nations issued a communique from Hiroshima that stressed "de-risking" rather than "decoupling" their economic relations with China, the world's second largest economy
The Chinese foreign ministry has said Beijing firmly opposes the G7 statement, and complained to Japan for organizing the summit

CANBERRA, Australia: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has expressed his support of a joint statement by the Group of Seven (G7) nations made in Japan, which affirmed the need to reduce the group's reliance on trade with China.

Over the weekend the G7 nations, which consider China to be a growing economic and security threat, issued a communique from Hiroshima, Japan, that stressed "de-risking" rather than "decoupling" their economic relations with China, the world's second largest economy.

While attending a meeting of leaders of the US, Japan, India and Australia, a group known as the Quad, on the sidelines of the summit in Hiroshima, Albanese said, "I support the G7 communiques about the international relations that we have there."

Australia had "for some time" expressed concern about China's activities, he added, noting the "chafing" of an Australian aircraft in May 2022 by a Chinese fighter aircraft in the South China Sea.

"We have expressed concern in the past, we'll continue to do so. What we need to do is to make sure we work in a way that enhances the peace, security and stability in the region," Albanese said.

The Chinese foreign ministry has said Beijing firmly opposes the G7 statement, and complained to Japan for organizing the summit.

Appearing to target China, the Quad said they sought a region "where no country dominates and no country is dominated."

Albanese's comments come amid a recent improvement in Australia-China relations, with China set to resume imports of Australian timber, and discussions are ongoing about a possible visit by Albanese to Beijing.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Pakistan Telegraph.

More Information

26 ℃

Smoke / Windy in Lahore/Iqbal

International

Section

US Air chief General Charles Brown to become Chairman of Joint Chiefs

WASHINGTON D.C.: The White House announced this week that President Joe Biden has chosen US Air Force chief General Charles ...

Typhoon Mawar strikes Guam, much of island without power, water

GUAM: After Typhoon Mawar brought strong winds and torrential rains, large areas of the US Western Pacific territory of Guam ...

US government, business warned of Chinese spying on infrastructure

NEW YORK CITY, New York: In one of the largest known Chinese cyber-espionage campaigns against American critical infrastructure, a state-sponsored ...