Michael is joined by Rex Patrick, Senator for South Australia – Centre Alliance, who will renew his push for the Senate to establish a wide-ranging inquiry into Australia’s future relationship with China. 

 

“Chinese Ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye’s explicit threat this week of a Chinese boycott of Australian services leaves no doubt that a substantial reset of Australia’s relations with China is required,” Senator Patrick said. 

 

“The Ambassador revealed China’s true diplomatic face and confirmed concerns about China’s preference for control and coercion rather than partnership.” 

 

“The Chinese Government’s response to Australian support for an international inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic confirms the increasingly fraught nature of Australia-China relations and makes it all the more important that Australia carefully consider our future approach to dealings with Beijing.”

 

 

“A business as usual approach is clearly not a sustainable proposition. We need a deep dive into the dynamics of Australia-China relations to determine the best strategies moving forward.”