Pro-China protesters have invaded the Parliament lawn, blocking peaceful Tibetan activists as Anthony Albanese prepares to meet China’s second most powerful leader.
Tensions between rival protesters rose on Monday morning ahead of Premier Li Qiang’s state visit to Canberra.
Peaceful supporters in Tibet, a predominantly Buddhist region in far western China, were surrounded by counter-protesters who unfurled huge Chinese and Australian flags to hide them from view.
Some protesters carried huge flags combining the Chinese and Australian flags, while Tibetan supporters struggled to keep their banner up.
At one point, a fight broke out when a man fell to the ground and knocked over a raised speaker while a heavy police presence watched the confrontation.
One observer claimed that “people carrying Chinese flags were bussed and paid to ‘welcome’ Chinese Premier Li Qiang.”
Tensions between rival protesters rose on Monday morning ahead of Premier Li Qiang’s state visit to Canberra (pictured: Premier Qiang with Premier Anthony Albanese)
Another protester held a sign reading “Human rights: not for sale,” calling for a free Tibet.
Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, lives in exile in India and is considered a separatist threat by the Chinese authorities, who exercise strict control over the region.
Albanese will host the Chinese premier on a four-day state visit to Canberra.
At the top of the Australian leader’s agenda will be trying to get rid of persistent trade impediments and press him on security and human rights issues.
Premier Li Qiang declared relations were “back on track” after “twists and turns” as the weekend arrived – good news for lobster fisheries and beef producers still under pressure. restrictions.
Peaceful supporters in Tibet, a predominantly Buddhist region in far western China, were surrounded by counter-protesters who unfurled huge Chinese and Australian flags to hide them from view.
At one point, a fight broke out when a man fell to the ground and knocked over a raised speaker while a heavy police presence watched the confrontation.
Beijing’s second most powerful leader will hold talks with Albanese on Monday as part of an annual leaders’ meeting in the capital, followed by a state lunch with politicians, business representatives and community leaders.
A trip to Australia’s resource powerhouse, Western Australia, will form the final part of the visit, which is taking place with some clouds hanging over the two countries’ broader relationship, even as many trade restrictions have been removed.
China imposed sanctions on $20 billion worth of Australian goods in 2020 after the former coalition government called for an independent investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Premier Li’s visit is the first by a Chinese premier to Australia in seven years and comes after a period of turbulence for the country’s largest trading partner, while recent military incidents in international waters have threatened a diplomatic thaw. .
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Sunday Canberra would aggressively lobby Australian interests after being asked whether she would raise the case of Australian writer Yang Hengjun, who is languishing ill in a Chinese jail.
The remaining trade bans are expected to be lifted within weeks, but exporters may well wonder if they could face them again.
“So the question is how long can we be sure that we will have exports free of trade restrictions to China,” said Dr. Benjamin Herscovitch, a researcher at the School of Global Regulation and Governance at the Australian National University.
“It’s always possible that Beijing, if there’s some sort of serious breach on its mind, could hit Australian exporters again,” he said on ABC Saturday Extra.
One observer claimed that “people carrying Chinese flags were bussed and paid to ‘welcome’ Chinese Premier Li Qiang.”
Some protesters carried huge flags combining the Chinese and Australian flags, while Tibetan supporters struggled to keep their banner up.
“The battle here will be one of a whole series of specific granular policy areas where Beijing is trying to inch forward and extract additional concessions from Canberra.”
“Canberra will try to hold the line, not give too much to Beijing but also not anger Beijing once again and force Beijing to impose trade restrictions once again.”
Canberra has taken a tough stance on technology cooperation since Chinese-owned telecommunications giant Huawei was excluded from the rollout of the national 5G network over security concerns.
“Canberra is saying, look, we want trade restrictions to go away and we want high-level diplomacy to be restored, but we are not interested in deeper scientific and technological cooperation because we see that potentially, from the Australian point of view, as a security threat. said Dr. Herscovitch.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers recently ordered five China-linked funds to reduce their stake in rare earth mining company Northern Minerals.
Critical minerals are a key component of the Prime Minister’s Future Made in Australia initiative, while there have long been global concerns about China controlling much of production.
Critical minerals are used in many ways in the energy transition, from wind turbines to batteries.
