Australia’ s Five Eyes allies plot joint China sanctions
Aussies peace
- Junior soldiers were told to get their first kill by shooting prisoners, in a practice known as “blooding”
- Weapons and other items were planted near Afghan bodies to cover up crimes
- An additional two incidents could constitute a war crime of “cruel treatment”
- In recent years, a series often-brutal accounts have emerged about the conduct of elite special forces units – ranging from reports of troops killing a six-year-old child in a house raid, to a prisoner being shot dead to save space in a helicopter.
- Another incident involved two 14-year-old boys who were stopped by SAS, who decided they might be Taliban sympathisers.
- The boy’s throats were allegedly slit and their bodies bagged and thrown in a nearby river.
- NINE Australian troops – including one female soldier – take their own lives in just three weeks amid fallout from bombshell report exposing ‘war crimes’ in Afghanistan. At least 56 veterans have committed suicide since this year alone, up from 40 in 2019.
- No senior officers investigated or punished. The dead soldiers cannot testify and the investigation will take years.
Chicken must die
China’s imports from Australia down 4.9% from Jan-Nov amid trade, political tussles: customs figures
China imposes swingeing tariffs on Australian wine in ‘devastating blow’ to exporters,
- 12-10-20 China’s Ministry of Commerce said it would impose anti_subsidy tariffs on Australian wine on Friday – nearly two weeks after China imposed anti-dumping tariffs against Aussie wine.
- 12-12-20 A list of alleged 41 Chinese-owned Australian wineries sparks a new boycott wave over Chinese goods.
China’s crackdown on Australian coal imports sends prices sliding
Australian barley hits 3-year low amid friction with Beijing, WTO action ‘the next step’ for Canberra over Beijing’s barley duties
China slaps new ban on Aussie beef
- 12-8-20 China has suspended imports from Australian beef supplier Meramist Pty Ltd, the sixth supplier to face such a move in Australia this year amid deteriorating trade ties.
- 12-14-20 Australia’s mutton export to China was hit hard by global pandemic and worsening ties with China, with an importer saying imports have plunged 90% in recent months.
Tonnes of Australian lobsters stuck in Chinese airports amid trade tensions
Rumoured Chinese import suspensions spark wool concern
China’s Australian copper ban seen hurting smelters in TC/RCs talks
- China imported about 26,700 tons of copper concentrate from Australia in November this year, down 34% from October and 77.8% from November last year, the lowest monthly import volume since April this year.
Sour China-Australia ties hit talks over LNG deal, says Woodside
Victorian timber log exports blocked from entering China due to bark beetle
- China has suspended log imports from Australia’s Tasmania and South Australia from December 3 after pests were discovered, said the General Administration of Customs on Monday.
- 12-11-20 China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC) has suspended log imports from Australia’s New South Wales and Western Australia, according to a notice issued by the GAC on Thursday.
Iron ore, Australian iron ore is high quality and consistent, cannot find an alternative from Brazil (too expensive), India (too small), Russia (too backward) yet.
Chinese students in Australia leave as coronavirus upends study
Chinese homebuyers shun Australian market as coronavirus, political tensions take toll
- 5-6-21 Proclamation of the National Development and Reform Commission of the Peoples Republic of China on the Indefinite Suspension of All Activities under China-australia Strategic Economic Dialogue
Chinese companies given ‘verbal notice’ to stop importing Australian coal
Australia is China’s largest supplier of thermal coal, providing up to 35 per cent of the mineral used for electricity generation. Australian exports of coking coal, which is used to make steel, surged by 67 per cent in the first half of 2020 as China embarked on an infrastructure led recovery from the coronavirus.
- Responding to reports saying China has ordered a halt to imports of Australian coal, Chinese Customs said on Tue that it will strengthen import supervision on related products, asking reporters to consult relevant authorities for further information.
- Trade between China and Australia in the first three quarters went down 1.1%, with Chinese imports of Australian products down 5.1%: spokesperson of Chinese customs.
- Scott Morrison said the government was investigating the reports, but it was “important not to get ahead of ourselves here” because it was “not uncommon” for China to impose domestic quotas to support local coal production and jobs.
“That is not uncommon to see that and I can only assume, based on our relationship and based on the discussions we have with the Chinese government, that that is just part of their normal process,” the prime minister said in Brisbane on Tuesday. We’ll see, Scott. - Mongolia’s coal exports to China have been accelerating recently, as evidenced by the fact that coal transportation via truck has reached 1,000 units/day at the Ganqimaodu checkpoint in North China’s Inner Mongolia, the country’s largest import conduit for Mongolian coal, according to Chinese sources. A month ago the volume was only at about 600 trucks/day,
New Chinese-built trains arrive in Sydney
One of the new Waratah Series 2 trains was unveiled at Central Station and is set to enter service on Thursday, several months ahead of schedule.
Five others remain in testing in Australia, while a further 11 are expected to arrive from China before the end of the year. They will operate across the T2, T3, T8 Airport and South lines. The 17 trains were expected to cost the government close to $900 million when they were ordered last year amid record growth on the city’s transport network.
The new Waratah Series 2 trains will be airconditioned, feature internal and external CCTV as well as wheelchair spaces. 41 new Waratah trains will be operating across the network.
Journalist war between China and Australia
- Australia has not provided reasonable explanation for raiding the residences of four Chinese journalists and has not returned all their seized items after Australian intelligence agency staff raided the residences of Chinese journalists in 6-26-20.
- Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on Sunday, 9-7-20 warned foreign journalists working in the country they might come under the scrutiny of federal agencies if they provide a “slanted view” of Australian affairs. “If people are here as journalists and they’re reporting fairly on the news, then that’s fine,” Dutton told ABC TV’s Insiders program. He said reporters shouldn’t provide “a slanted view to a particular community.” Dutton wouldn’t confirm reports four Chinese journalists were questioned by Australia’s national security agency ASIO in June, but said there had been “ASIO activity.” “Where ASIO has sufficient grounds for the execution of a search warrant or for activities otherwise, then they’ll undertake that activity,” he said. “If people are masquerading as journalists or business leaders or whoever they might be and there’s evidence that they are acting in a contrary nature to Australian law, then ASIO and the Australian Federal Police and other agencies will act.”
- The reporters Bill Birtles and Michael Smith sought refuge in the Australian Embassy in Beijing and the consulate in Shanghai while diplomats negotiated their departure. Four days later 9-7-20 , they were cleared to leave the country. Birtles and Smith were the last reporters for Australian outlets remaining in China.
- Just hours after the reporters landed in Australia, Chinese authorities announced that Cheng Lei 成蕾 , an Australian news anchor for Chinese state broadcaster CGTN , had been arrested 8-14-20 on charges of “carrying out illegal activities endangering China’s national security.”
- 9-24-20 China has banned entry for Clive C Hamilton and Alex Joske under country’s Exit and Entry Administration Law, after Australia revoked visa of Chinese scholars .
Australia HKSAR passport holders holding Temporary Graduate Visas or Temporary Skilled Shortage Visas will have their visas automatically extended for five years
The new visa arrangements mean that up to 10,000 Hong Kong passport holders in Australia will be able to extend their stay for five years, at the end of which they will be granted permanent residency in Australia after passing relevant character, security and health checks. Under the new visa policy announced by the Australian Government, HKSAR passport holders holding Temporary Graduate Visas or Temporary Skilled Shortage Visas will have their visas automatically extended for five years.
Following the enactment of Hong Kong’s National Security Law, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on July 9 that he would extend the visa period for Hong Kong residents and provide a pathway to apply for permanent residence.
According to ABC, there are currently nearly 10,000 Hong Kong citizens in Australia on temporary work visas, post-graduation temporary visas and student visas, and another 2,500 Hong Kong people outside Australia on these visas.
Australian researchers say solar-to-hydrogen efficiency improved to new record
Researchers at the Australian National University (ANU) recently said that they had achieved “a new efficiency record” for hydrogen cells that can convert water into hydrogen simply using sunlight.
Co-author Shen Heping, who develops perovskite cells, shows a part of the cell in the lab of Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, Australia, July 15, 2020. Researchers at the ANU recently said that they had achieved “a new efficiency record” for hydrogen cells that can convert water into hydrogen simply using sunlight.
The approach outlined in the ANU study used inexpensive semiconductor materials and resulted in a 17.6 percent solar-to-hydrogen efficiency, according to the researchers.
Document behind News Corp’s ‘bombshell dossier’ on China coronavirus may be released … in 2023
A fake report by the five-eyes.
After Guardian Australia submitted an application under freedom of information laws for a file thought to be titled “Timeline of coronavirus outbreak and PRC coverup”, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it had found one document matching the request.
But Dfat decided the document was exempt from being disclosed “as its release would divulge material that was communicated in confidence by or on behalf of a foreign government or organisation” to the Australian government.
It is believed the 15-page document was authored by the US Department of State this year and distributed to officials in like-minded countries – including Australia – to spark debate about how the People’s Republic of China had handled the initial outbreak.
US, Australia seek new military cooperation as tensions soar with China
The two countries are set to build ties across a slew of defense areas including hypersonic, electronic and space-based warfare.
In a joint statement, the ministers said they discussed expanding operations in the northern Australian city of Darwin, where US Marines have been rotating in since 2012 under an initiative of former president Barack Obama.
The United States will establish a military fuel reserve in Darwin and the allies will consider exercises there with like-minded countries — a likely reference to Japan and India.
In one step that had been too far, Australia last year said it would not serve as a base for US intermediate-range missiles — widely seen as a way to target China.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Australia did not agree on everything with Beijing — or with the United States.
“The relationship that we have with China is important. And we have no intention of injuring it,” she said. “But nor do we intend to do things that are contrary to our interests.”
She said Australia and the United States had a shared interest in an Asia-Pacific region that was free, prosperous and secure and were broadly aligned on issues, including China.
“We don’t agree on everything though. And that’s part of a respectful relationship, is part of a relationship that has endured over 100 years of ‘mateship.’”
“We deal with China in the same way. We have a strong economic engagement, other engagement, and it works in the interests of both countries,” Payne said.