Using one of the new powers of the Australian federal government, it terminated two treaties that the state of Victoria had concluded with China as part of the “One Region, One Road” project. According to the Australian government, the two agreements harmed Australia’s national interests.
He described the move as a provocative response to the Chinese embassy, which would deal another blow to bilateral relations.
The Australian government was now the first to exert its authority to terminate agreements it saw in the national interest. In addition to the Chinese treaties, the Australian leadership also withdrew from a treaty with Iran and Syria.
By the way, the just dissolved Chinese treaties were concluded in early 2018 and 2019, and the federal government, as well as the United States, had already criticized them at that time. Tensions between Australia and China have recently escalated anyway, despite Australia being China’s most important trading partner. Relations between the two countries deteriorated the most during the coronavirus pandemic, when Australia called for an independent investigation to find out the origin of the virus.
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