The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday called on Australia to “walk the talk” and do more in line with the spirit of the China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership and conducive to regional peace and stability, after Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the country “welcomed China’s rise as a major economic partner.”
Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the ministry, said at a routine press conference on Thursday China has noticed that Australia welcomed China’s development, noting that China hopes Australia will do what it says, and do more things conducive to the bilateral relations and development.
“China is committed to peaceful development, and will never seek hegemony or confrontation,” Wang said.
China always believes in seeking peace, promoting development and cooperation, and win-win results, which are the irresistible trend of the times and the wish of all peoples of the world, he said. He added that any idea on regional cooperation should be in line with the trend and meet the people’s wishes; otherwise it will not win international support.
Wang’s remarks came after Morrison said Australia “welcomed China’s rise as a major economic partner” in a speech delivered via video link at the Aspen Security Forum in the US on Wednesday.
He stressed the importance of aligning with the US strategy, while saying that Australia welcomed China’s rise and wished to keep sound economic ties.
The speech was titled “Tomorrow in the Indo-Pacific,” where Morrison stressed that “A critical priority is to build a durable strategic balance in the Indo-Pacific.”
Also, Morrison seemed to rule out a ban on Chinese short video app TikTok, saying there’s no evidence that TikTok has abused users’ data. However, he claimed the wildly popular video-sharing app “connects right back to China.”
Four days ago, Australian media reported that Australian intelligence agencies, citing security concerns, launched an investigation into TikTok on the heels of the US move.
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