Labor Deputy Leader Claims ‘Transparency’ Over Chinese Embassy Visits

Australian Deputy Opposition Leader Richard Marles speaks during a press conference while visiting Munster Mechanical on Day 13 of the 2022 federal election campaign in Slacks Creek in Brisbane, Australia on April 23, 2022. AAP Image/Lukas Coch

The Australian opposition’s deputy leader Richard Marles has been forced to explain his high number of visits to the Chinese Embassy over the past five years—more than the foreign minister—despite not holding the shadow foreign policy portfolio.

Marles is alleged to have engaged with Chinese diplomats at least 10 times from 2017 despite deteriorating bilateral relations between Australia and China, according to a report from The Australian newspaper.