Tensions with China simmer Down Under
Politics & Current Affairs
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s government has decided to pursue legislation against espionage and improper foreign influence on Australia’s political system. This comes after the exposure of suspicious ties between Australian Labor Party (ALP) senator Sam Dastyari and Chinese organizations.
- In response, “China has declared it does not interfere in the domestic affairs of other countries and Beijing has urged the Turnbull government to ‘discard prejudice’ and deepen the bilateral relationship,” according to the Guardian.
- Separately, the Guardian says that Former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr has warned that his nation “should remain neutral and not be viewed as trying to ‘contain’ China in alliance with US, India and Japan,” in a recently resuscitated grouping known as the Quad. Carr was speaking on the sidelines of the Wuzhen World Internet Conference as a guest of the Chinese government, where he said that “Australia is the only one of the four countries that is not the strategic rival of China.”
- Meanwhile, in New Zealand, Reuters reports that Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Tuesday that his country “will continue to seek closer cooperation with China,” a change of tone from his earlier “protectionist campaign rhetoric.”
- Wuzhen internet conference
Inside China’s big tech conference, new ways to track citizens / NYT (paywall)
“The technology enabling a full techno-police state was on hand, giving a glimpse into how new advances in things like artificial intelligence and facial recognition can be used to track citizens — and how they have become widely accepted here.”
Minitrue: Delete content attacking the World Internet Conference / China Digital Times
Alibaba’s Jack Ma tells U.S. companies to stop whining about China / WSJ (paywall) - Feminists
Chinese feminists forced to leave city ahead of Fortune Global Forum / RFA
“Three feminist activists in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong say they are leaving the provincial capital following a protracted campaign by authorities to force them out of their rented accommodation.” - North Korea
Chinese air force holds drills in ‘new routes and areas’ near Korean peninsula / SCMP - Environment
Tonnes of sulphuric acid leak from tank at Chinese chemical plant / SCMP - Medicine
How China has almost defeated malaria at home, and may lead the charge globally / Radii China
