Australia Will Not Bow to Chinese Demands to Restart Talks: Foreign Minister

Australia Will Not Bow to Chinese Demands to Restart Talks: Foreign Minister
Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne at the State Department in Washington, on July 27, 2020. Al Drago/Reuters
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CANBERRA—Australia will not accept Chinese demands to change policy in order to restart bilateral talks, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said.

“We’ve been advised by China that they will only engage in high-level dialogue if we meet certain conditions. Australia places no conditions on dialogue. We can’t meet (their) conditions now,” Payne said in a speech late on Thursday in Canberra.