Morrison Flags Concerns About ‘Optics’ of Albanese Trip to Beijing

Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison delivers a speech at a dinner event during the Yushan Forum in Taipei, Taiwan, on Oct. 11, 2023. (Annabelle Chih/Getty Images)

Australia’s former Prime Minister Scott Morrison has flagged concerns about current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visiting Beijing next week.

Mr. Albanese is visiting Beijing from Nov. 4 to 7 and will talk with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The prime minister is intending to “stabilise” the Australia-China relationship during his trip.

Mr. Morrison, who is currently in London for the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference, said China is backing Russia against Ukraine and “can’t say” Hamas when it comes to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

“What I do know is we have a Chinese government that is supporting Russia in the war against Ukraine ... we’ve got a Chinese government that can’t say the word Hamas,” Mr. Morrison told The Australian newspaper.

“You’ve got to ask yourself about how the optics of those sorts of things can be misused.”

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While Mr. Morrison was confident Mr. Albanese would go to China with the best of intentions to present Australia’s national interest, he is concerned about how the communist regime will exploit the visit.

“He cannot control what the Communist Party in China will do with that [visit] and how those images will be used, and how it can be taken advantage of,” Mr. Morrison told the publication.

Mr. Albanese will be the first prime minister to travel to China since 2016. The visit coincides with the 50th anniversary of the first visit to China by Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in 1973, when Australia established diplomatic ties with the CCP.

Details of Beijing Visit

While in China, Mr. Albanese is also planning to meet with Premier Li Qiang and visit the China International Import Expo.

Mr. Albanese said it would be an important visit and noted China is aware of Australia’s alliance with the United States.

“I‘ll visit a trade fair is going on in Shanghai and I’ll be hosted there by Premier Li and then we'll have a meeting with President Xi in Beijing on Monday. So, it will be an important visit,” Mr. Albanese told ABC radio on Oct. 31.

“And China knows that we’re in an alliance with the United States. They know that we’re a nation that stands up for human rights and for the rule of law. And they expect us to do that. I’ve been direct about that. And I think you’ve seen the improvement in the relationship in part because of just the way that we have conducted it.”

South China Sea Questions

Asked if he will be asking some tough questions about the South China Sea, Mr. Albanese said, “We certainly will,” elaborating that the “UN Convention on the Law of the Sea is very important.”

“It’s an important passageway for Australia’s trade up to Japan and Korea. And it’s important that international laws be respected. And so, we have engaged on those issues. And we‘ll continue to raise them with China, but we’ll raise them directly to them. They know where we stand on these issues,” Mr. Albanese said.

The prime minister described the visit to China as positive, citing breakthroughs in removing impediments to trade and the return of journalist Cheng Lei.

“And we want to see a stabilisation of the relationship, where we cooperate wherever we can, we disagree where we have differences and we’re open and honest about them and can talk those issues through. We have different political systems, of course, and different values, but it always makes sense to have dialogue and to be talking,” Mr. Albanese said.

Biden Warning to Australia

Last week, President Joe Biden warned Australia to “trust but verify” China when asked if the regime could be trusted during a joint press conference with Mr. Albanese last week.

“‘Trust but verify’ is the phrase. And, look, China is having their own internal and external difficulties right now.  China’s economic growth is stagnant compared to what it was. China has engaged in activities that Russia and many other activities that others have engaged in in terms of intimidation and dealing with other countries,” Mr. Biden said.

“But the fact is that I have met with Xi Jinping more than any other world leader has. I’ve had over 68 hours of private meetings, just he and I with simultaneous interpreters—starting back when I was vice president.”

U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese shake hands in the Oval Office before a bilateral meeting at the White House in Washington, on Oct. 25, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The two leaders held bilateral meetings, a private dinner, and an official state dinner with 300 guests at the White House.

Australia and the United States announced they would partner on a US$65 million submarine cable project connecting multiple Pacific Island nations to the internet.

The joint initiative aims to counter Beijing’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region.