cancel two deals agreed between China and the Australian state of Victoria as relations between the two countries continue to simmer. “Australia says it wants to open up cooperation with China and increase our high-level dialogue, but it says one thing and does another,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press briefing. “The Australian side’s actions this time have again shown that they are not genuine in wanting to improve China-Australia relations,” he said, urging Canberra to “immediately repeal its incorrect decision”.
Australia’s Defence Minister Peter Dutton said on Thursday that foreign affairs were an issue for the federal government and that Canberra was concerned about “state governments that enter into compacts with the [Chinese] Communist Party that are against our national interests”.
