Albanese said that he mentioned the human rights issue of Chinese detention of Australian writer Yang Hengjun during the meeting. Although Beijing released Australian journalist Cheng Lei before Albanese's visit to China, some scholars did not hold high hopes that Yang Hengjun could also be released.
Australian scholars call on China to release Yang Hengjun
More than four years ago, renowned Australian writer and democracy activist Yang Hengjun was arrested by the Chinese government and charged with espionage activities. At present, his health condition is precarious. Yang Hengjun's two sons recently wrote a letter to the Australian Prime Minister, hoping that his visit can bring his critically ill father home.
Professor Feng Chongyi from Sydney University of Science and Technology told VOA, "We hope that the Prime Minister's visit can bring Dr. Yang back. The release of Cheng Lei has brought hope to many people in Australia, and the Australian Prime Minister can completely follow the same approach to have the Chinese government release Yang Hengjun
Feng Chongyi said, "Yang Hengjun is innocent and completely political persecution. This is a political case. If the Chinese government really wants to improve Sino Australian relations, they should first solve these remaining issues
Feng Chongyi said that he had written to the Prime Minister, hoping to make the release of Yang Hengjun a prerequisite for his visit to China, but the government did not respond to his demands.
Australian economist and Professor Shi Heling from Monash University told VOA, "Yang Heng is an Australian who has been detained for over four years without a public trial or verdict, and is seriously ill. Any leader of a civilized country should argue for it
However, Shi Heling believes that the Chinese government will not release people because the Chinese government will also use Yang Hengjun to blackmail the Australian government to support China's accession to the Trans Pacific Partnership (CCPP) and oppose the tripartite security partnership between Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom, known as AUKUS.
Although Australia China relations can improve, they are limited
Professor Shi Heling believes that the Australian government does not have much hope for improving the relationship between Australia and China. "It doesn't matter if it can be improved or not," he said
Starting from Australia's economic interests, the Labour Party has been trying to restore normal economic and trade relations with the Chinese government since taking office, and has achieved some results, "said Shi Heling. I think the most important thing is that Chenglei can be released, and other achievements are not significant
Shi Heling believes that as long as Australia continues to not support China's accession to the Trans Pacific Partnership and continues the military agreement between Australia, the United States, and the United States, AUKUS, the improvement of Australia China relations is limited.
The New York Times said, "Both China and Australia have made cautious statements before this weekend's visit, avoiding the term 'restart' and instead using the term 'stability', and only mentioning relatively small concessions that have allowed the two countries to return to foreign relations after years of escalating strong dissatisfaction
Professor Feng Chongyi from Sydney University of Science and Technology believes that the Australian Labor Party government places economic and trade relations at a very high level in its dealings with China. For example, on October 20th, the Australian government stated that China would not change or cancel the 99 year lease term for Darwin Port, and the Australian government did not support Taiwan's accession to the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement. It withdrew its lawsuit against China in the World Trade Organization
But Feng Chongyi believes that even so, Australia will find it difficult to achieve the economic and trade agreements signed with China. The Chinese government has lifted tariffs on Australian red wine and barley, lifted the Australian coal embargo, and so on. It seems that the Australian government will gain huge benefits from the middle, which is a sign of ignorance. Due to the recent economic downturn in China, the market's demand for red wine and lobster has greatly decreased, and there is no longer the purchasing power it had before. The Chinese government is just showing off, and the consumption capacity of the Chinese people is no longer as good as before. Even if the signing of this agreement between China and Australia The possibility of achieving the economic and trade agreement is very low
Of course, I will return to the Chinese market, but it may only account for 20% or 30% of my sales, "the New York Times quoted an Australian winery owner, Nikki Paren, as saying
In the past, she sold over 2 million bottles of wine to China every year, with the Chinese market accounting for 90% of her business. China's tariffs have forced her to expand her business scope. "I really like the current direction of business development," she said.
The Chinese government successfully obtained the lease of Darwin Port through the release of Cheng Lei in Albanese, revoked the lawsuit at the World Trade Organization, and did not support Taiwan's accession to the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement. When discussing whether the Chinese government will continue to use this method to achieve their goals in the future, Professor Feng Chongyi said, "China will continue to detain foreigners and negotiate with the democratic world. This danger exists, and this possibility still exists
The Australian government "steps on two boats": relying on China for economic and trade, and relying on the United States for safety?
Professor Feng Chongyi criticized the Australian government for stepping on two boats, maintaining close economic and trade ties with Beijing, and relying on democratic countries such as the United States and Britain for security and military matters, which is the reality of Australia.
This is a very dangerous operation, "Feng Chongyi said. The Darwin Port Lease incident is a typical example. Such an important port was leased to a Chinese company with close ties to the Communist regime
Shi Heling stated that the Australian government has been seeking other trade markets to break away from its dependence on China and has been implementing them for many years. For the sake of Australia's national security, the economy should not be greatly affected by a particular market. The Australian government should strengthen economic and trade cooperation with other Asian countries, especially India and Indonesia. This is in line with Australia's values and is beneficial for Australia's stable economic development in the long run
Abdullah Salem, an Australian Uyghur scholar and imam at the Wandana Mosque, told VOA, "The Prime Minister needs to be smart because China will never say or do anything without ensuring greater profits. Also, do not give up the values that the Chinese government adheres to just because of its good promises
He hopes that Prime Minister Albanese will discuss Uyghur human rights issues during his meeting with Chinese government officials. This is not an internal issue that the Chinese government always claims, but an international and humanitarian issue. As a country that values human rights, the Prime Minister should use this visit to discuss the issue of Uyghurs, as many Uyghurs and their families living in Australia are also unfairly influenced by the Chinese government
But he believes that the Prime Minister's visit may turn a blind eye to Australian values for economic gain.