Peter Dutton has urged Anthony Albanese to “grow a backbone and stand up for the country” over his handling of Chinese officials targeting journalist Cheng Lei at a Parliament House event. Sky News Australia journalist Cheng, who was detained in China for three years after they accused her of sharingContinue Reading
Senior Labor and Nationals MPs have clashed in a fiery confrontation over Chinese-Australian relations. Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth and Nationals senate leader Bridget McKenzie squared off either side of referee-slash-television host Karl Stefanovic on Tuesday morning. Sparks flew over announcements and sideline events stemming from Chinese Premier Li Qiang’sContinue Reading
Defence Minister Richard Marles is challenging Beijing to make clear that it opposes the invasion of another sovereign state, while repudiating claims that western governments, including Australia, possess a deep rooted hostility towards China. Amid heightened tensions in the Indo-Pacific, Mr Marles will speak at the Shangri-La defence forum inContinue Reading
Scott Morrison has revealed he was placed on medication to cope with “debilitating and agonising” anxiety during his tumultuous prime ministership as he navigated the Covid pandemic and Australia’s showdown with China. Speaking to The Australian ahead of the release of his new book, Plans for Your Good: A PrimeContinue Reading
Australian journalist Cheng Lei has revealed she was detained in China for three years because she broke a story embargo by mere minutes. Ms Cheng touched down in Australia last Wednesday after spending three years imprisoned in Beijing while officials investigated her matter. She was charged with “illegally providing China’sContinue Reading
Has Beijing snared itself in its own debt trap? The lure of cheap cash has bought it diplomatic support and access to ports across Africa, Asia and the Pacific. But now those nations are struggling to meet repayments. And someone still has to pay. “China is a loan shark withContinue Reading
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has been sent back to prison less than two months before his fraud trial, after a judge alleged he had attempted to tamper with witnesses. The disgraced cryptocurrency tycoon has pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, as wellContinue Reading
Tibet’s exiled political leader says his nation has become a prison under Chinese rule but he would not be pushing for independence from Beijing. In his first trip to Australia since being elected the head of the nation’s government-in-exile in 2021, Penpa Tsering called on the Albanese government to takeContinue Reading
The White House has warned that a sudden upsurge in Chinese military “aggressiveness” behind a series of near collisions in the sea and air could soon result in “casualties”. “It won’t be long before somebody gets hurt,” said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. “That’s the concern with these unsafeContinue Reading
More photos have emerged of a fake “Chinese police car” in Melbourne that sparked outrage on social media earlier this week. The dark grey Nissan Altima sedan has Chinese characters for “police” stencilled on the bonnet and “special police” along the side, and a Chinese police badge on the frontContinue Reading