China rejects Australian claim of coercion

Bloomberg

China denied claims that it was targeting Australia by warning its citizens not to travel there due to the risk of discrimination and racist attacks, after Australia’s leader accused China of attempting to coerce his country.
“Our embassy and consulate in Australia also received a lot of complaints and appeals for assistance,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday. “I wonder why the Australian leader is talking about coercion,” she said. China in recent days has issued warnings against tourists and students going to Australia, citing discrimination and violence.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison denied that there was any racism towards Chinese students in Australia, calling
the claim “rubbish” and a “ridiculous assertion” in a radio interview earlier in the day, and said that Australia wouldn’t change policy due to the Chinese actions.
“One thing Australia will always do is act in our national interests and never be intimidated by threats from wherever they come,” he said in a separate radio interview. “We are an open trading nation mate, but I’m never going to trade our values in response to coercion from wherever it comes,” he said in response to a question about the warning to students and Chinese restrictions on beef and barley trade.
Relations between the two nations were already tense and have deteriorated this year after Australia called for an independent investigation into the origins of the Covid-19 outbreak. In addition to the travel and study warning, China recently imposed tariffs on barley exports and banned beef shipments from four Australian meatpackers.
Separately, China’s commerce ministry said on Thursday that it would watch the effect on Chinese firms of proposed changes to Australia’s foreign investment law. The revisions will implement a tough new screening regime on foreign investors seeking to buy sensitive assets. Chinese investment into Australia fell to a 13-year low in 2019.