Loading
‘‘We look forward to a time when the Chinese government realises it has nothing to fear from honest discussion and the free exchange of ideas.’’
The move shocked federal ministers yesterday after China Matters relayed the decision of Chinese diplomats in Australia earlier in the day.
The Morrison government had been hoping to improve relations with Beijing after a meeting betweenPrime Minister Scott Morrison and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the East Asia Summit last month,as well as a visit to Shanghai by Trade Minister Simon Birmingham.
Liberal MP Dave Sharma,a former Australian ambassador to Israel,said the decision was"beyond disappointing"because the bilateral relationship needed mutual respect.
"It's hard to have a healthy relationship if one side refuses to engage with the legitimate representatives of the other,"Mr Sharma tweeted.
Mr Hastie who had been under fire from the WA government over his criticism of the Chinese Communist Party hit back on Monday,accusing Premier Mark McGowan of being out of his depth on strategic issues relating to Australia's relationship with Beijing.
Mr Hastie,a former SAS officer and chairman of the powerful Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security has raised the plight of China's Uyghur population in Federal Parliament and likened the west's handling of Beijing's ambitions to Allied miscalculations in the defence of Western Europe during World War II.
He triggered a major political debate in Augustwith an article published on Nine news sites includingThe Age,The Sydney Morning Herald andWAtoday.
"We must be clear-eyed about our position in the world,"Mr Hastie wrote.
"We are resetting the terms of engagement with China to preserve our sovereignty,security and democratic convictions,as we also reap the benefits of prosperity that come with our mutually beneficial trade relationship.
"Australia must now,somehow,hold on to our sovereignty and prosperity.
"We must balance security and trade. But most importantly,we must remain true to our democratic convictions while also seeing the world as it is,not as we wish it to be."
In August,Senator James Paterson said recent restlessness in Hong Kong had shone a spotlight on the foreign influence risks at Australian universities.
"I've been concerned for some time about attempted foreign interference in Australian universities,both as a by-product of the hunger for international students and more deliberate efforts at influence,"he said.
"Our universities must understand their obligation to ensure the values we espouse as a nation are upheld on campus too,including free speech,the right to protest and academic freedom.
"It's also vital that our foreign influence laws are complied with in both letter and spirit."
The China Matters study tour was planned for December 9 to 11 and included Mr Hastie,Senator Paterson and Labor MP Matt Keogh as well as China Matters chief executive Alistair Nicholas.
Mr Keogh,the only Labor member of the group,said it was “truly disappointing” the trip had been called off.
"The circumstances of this trip being cancelled highlight precisely why trips like this are important – to increase mutual understanding instead of hasty wars of words via the media,"Mr Keogh said.
with Max Koslowski and Nick Bonyhady