Aussie China News
A weekly roundup of your favourite (and least favourite) Australian media coverage of China.
(Reuters: Randall Hill)Hello everyone and welcome to the very first issue of Aussie China News!
My name is Daria Impiombato and I’m a China analyst at an Australian think tank. I am originally from Italy and have lived in Australia for the past six years. The way Australian media covers China is extremely interesting to me (for the good and the bad reasons) so I thought more people might benefit from regular updates.
I hope you find it as useful - and at times puzzling - as I do. This is a side and personal project in the making, so please do send through your feedback via Substack or Twitter! I look forward to hearing what you think.
This post covers Australian news and commentary on China between Monday 6th February and Sunday 12th February. Going forward, the newsletter will go out every Friday morning.
News
The Balloon
Beijing confirms Chinese balloon 'accidentally entered Latin American and Caribbean airspace'
ABC News
Beijing's foreign ministry has confirmed that a balloon flying over Latin America is Chinese, after a similar device was shot down by the United States over the weekend.
'I believe the US has managed this as carefully as possible'
Richard Wood, 9 News
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has backed the US over its shooting down of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon and said Australia will always act to protect its sovereignty.
Barbara Miller, ABC News
How the suspected spy balloon caused a national security rift in the US.
China spy balloon ‘may have carried explosives’
Jennifer Jacobs and Iain Marlow, AFR
The US has started to recover some parts from the Chinese balloon that an American F-22 fighter jet shot down off the coast of South Carolina, as Biden administration officials said the US was still trying to figure out how much senior leaders in Beijing knew about the alleged spy mission.
Satellite photos expose true extent of China’s balloon threat
Jamie Seidel, news.com.au
A Chinese surveillance balloon may have been a rude shock to the United States, but satellite photos reveal India is constantly under their watchful eye. Balloons are being used to hoist radars, electronic eavesdropping and reconnaissance equipment high above the Himalayas as cheap, perpetual surveillance of Indian territory. And the high altitudes they obtain give such equipment enormous line-of-sight.
Chinese balloon: Questions remain about suspected spy in the sky
9News
The US military says the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that drifted across its airspace last week before it was shot down may have been carrying explosives in its huge payload. The Pentagon gave new details in a briefing today after the craft was shot down by the US Air Force over the Atlantic on the weekend.
Images of Chinese spy balloon recovery emerge, US situation with Beijing ‘tense’
WA Today
New images have emerged of American sailors recovering the Chinese balloon that an American F-22 fighter jet shot down off the coast of South Carolina. In one of the newly released images, explosive ordnance disposal sailors can be seen leaning over a boat and pulling in broad swaths of the balloon’s white outer fabric and shell structure.
What the US found in Chinese spy balloon
Daily Telegraph
Early analysis of a spy balloon that was shot down in the US has revealed its true purpose – and it is not as the Chinese has claimed.
China demands 'calm' after admitting to second balloon
The Herald Sun
The US has announced how it will respond after a Chinese spy balloon was shot down in its territory, as Beijing called for “calm”.
Beijing calls US claims over balloons 'information warfare'
9News
China says United States accusations a downed Chinese balloon was part of an extensive surveillance program amount to "information warfare against China".
US says China’s balloon equipped for intel, part of spy program aimed at 40 countries
Eric Tucker and Matthew Lee, The Sydney Morning Herald
The Chinese balloon shot down by the US was equipped to detect and collect intelligence signals as part of a huge, military-linked aerial surveillance program that targeted more than 40 countries, the Biden administration declared, citing imagery from American U-2 spy planes.
US Defense officials defend decision to delay shooting down Chinese balloon
ABC
A US Senate committee has grilled defence and military officials about the decision to delay shooting down a suspected Chinese espionage satellite until a week after it initially entered US airspace over Alaska.
Balloon drama sparks 'big redesign' of American defence
The Australian
The saga of the Chinese spy balloon has done Joe Biden a favour.
US shoots down ‘high-altitude object’ over Alaska
Chantelle Francis, Herald Sun
The US has shot down another object flying over its airspace a week after it downed a Chinese balloon.
Politics
Beijing invites trade minister to China, says it won't back down on 'principled' issues
Stephen Dziedzic, ABC News
Trade Minister Don Farrell will soon travel to China to try and convince Beijing to unwind trade sanctions on Australian goods after holding a virtual meeting with his Chinese counterpart this afternoon.
New Zealand’s new PM vows to speak out on China despite close trade ties Matthew Knott, Brisbane Times
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins insists he will be upfront about disagreements with China even as he and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese seek to deepen trade ties with the rising superpower. Hipkins visited Canberra on Tuesday for his first overseas trip since replacing Jacinda Ardern last month and held a working lunch with Albanese at Parliament House.
Anti-China leader in Solomon Islands province ousted
Newcastle Herald
The opposition has taken a majority in the assembly of the most populous Solomon Islands province after Daniel Suidani, a vocal critic of the country's relationship with China, lost a no-confidence vote, an adviser to the ousted leader says.
The Economy
China ‘highly concerned’ about security checks on firms in Australia
Michael Smith, AFR
China says it has raised concerns with the Albanese government about tightening security inspections on Chinese companies operating in Australia.
China reopening good for residential and retail property
Michael Bleby, AFR
Residential development will get a lift from China’s reopening but the return of visitors from the world’s second-largest economy will not be sufficient to offset domestic weakness dogging retail property, says a new UBS report naming Stockland, Goodman, GPT and Lendlease as stocks to benefit.
China-bound Aussie wine exports plunge to $12m from $1b
Simon Evans, AFR
Australia’s wine exports to China have plunged to just $12.4 million annually compared with $1.3 billion before Beijing imposed punishing tariffs in late 2020.
Jonathan Lea, Sky News
The warning came as the former chair of Australia’s powerful Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security warned foreign interference and espionage has now supplanted terrorism as the country’s greatest threat.
Yue Gong, Helen Chen, SBS 中文
An extended rental peak season may drive a sluggish buy-to-let market, a real estate insider said. In large cities like Melbourne and Sydney, vacancy rates are at an all-time low (1 per cent). More than 40,000 Chinese students may return to Australia after the Chinese government stopped accrediting overseas online learning qualifications.
Japan to restrict chip manufacturing machine exports to China
itNews
Japan's government will begin restricting exports of advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China in Spring after it amends a foreign exchange law to allow the change, Kyodo News reported.
Oil rallies as traders eye China’s reopening boom
Alex Gluyas, AFR
Oil prices leapt the most since November as traders grew increasingly optimistic about a sharp rebound in Chinese demand.
ABC
There are hopes sanctions on other Australian goods such as barley, lobster and wine will be dropped. The coal shipment comes after talks between China and Australia's trade ministers. Trade Minister Don Farrell is expected to travel to Beijing for further meetings.
First Australian coal shipment docking in China
Michael Smith, AFR
The first Australian coal shipment to China in more than two years has arrived in China following talks between the country’s two trade ministers this week, state media has reported. The bulk carrier Magic Eclipse carrying coal from Australia was due to dock in the southern Chinese port city of Zhanjiang on Wednesday night, the Global Times newspaper said, citing the MarineTraffic vessel-tracking platform.
China clears first Australian coal import in over two years
The Australian
The first loads of Australian coal to be shipped to China in more than two years have arrived in Guangdong province.
‘Next phase’: Australian coal arrives in China, sparking optimism about trade revival
Matthew Elmas, The New Daily
Hopes are building that trade sanctions imposed on Australian exports by China will be lifted in coming months as diplomatic relations between Canberra and Beijing continue to thaw. A turning point came this week when a shipment of 72,000 tonnes of Australian coal arrived in China, the first since Beijing slapped restrictions on it two years ago.
Australia 'kept our nerve' by facing down China over exports
Sky News Australia
Former Labor MP Michael Danby says Australia has shown the world the way by “facing down China” over the exports Beijing is coming back for. “We’ve shown the way, we keep our nerve, we don’t compromise on the 14 demands that the authorities in Beijing demanded of us to change our democratic system,” Mr Danby told Sky News host Amanda Stoker.
Tech
Deepfake 'news anchors' appear in pro-China footage on social media, research group says
ABC
Research firm Graphika said it discovered the deepfakes on social media while tracking pro-China disinformation operations known as 'spamouflage'. The Chinese government has warned that deepfakes present a "danger to national security and social stability". There has been no immediate comment from China on Graphika's report.
War Memorial spy fears spell end for Chinese cameras
Duncan Murray, Western Advocate
Several Chinese-made security cameras will be removed from the Australian War memorial in Canberra.
Minister orders removal of China-linked cameras from defence premises
9News
Defence Minister Richard Marles has ordered the removal of Chinese surveillance cameras from sensitive Australian government buildings as part of a review. He announced the inquiry today after an audit revealed nearly 1000 Chinese surveillance cameras were installed at government sites. The technology is made by Hikvision and Dahua, which have links to the Chinese government.
Chinese-owned surveillance cameras operational in Australia since 2018
Ellen Ransley, news.com.au
Australian government buildings have used Chinese-surveillance technologies for nearly five years, but the backlash has forced a change.
Security
Australia and the US are cracking down on 'Chinese spies' in STEM, and Beijing is taking advantage
Wing Kuang, ABC
At the university and research sector in Australia and the US, an action countering China's foreign interference and technology theft has been underway since 2018. Security experts say these efforts are aimed at preventing Beijing's increasing espionage activities. But insiders of the sector have also raised concerns about the damage being done to Australia and the US's STEM sectors, arguing these measures are driving away prospective students and creating an opportunity for Beijing.
Biden wants bigger Indo-Pacific budget to counter China
Matthew Cranston, AFR
President Joe Biden will seek a “significant” increase in resources for US operations in the Indo-Pacific to push back against an increasingly assertive China as Beijing seeks to create a regional sphere of influence.
Asian countries push back on China’s wild demand
Jamie Seidel, news.com.au
“Dangerous and escalating” military pressure from China is forcing traditionally non-aligned Asian states to seek international support.
Opinion and analysis
United States remains Asia's most powerful country followed by China, analysis says
Stephen Dziedzic, ABC News
New analysis has found the United States remains the most powerful country in Asia, while China's strength has been eroded by its strict COVID-19 lockdowns and border closures.
Australia must stand firm on trade disputes with China
Justin Bassi, The Strategist
The Albanese government deserves credit for its handling of the China relationship. Its dual-stream strategy of ‘co-operating where possible and disagreeing where necessary’ has so far enabled diplomatic re-engagement without compromising Australian policy. But is the approach sustainable, or is it only feasible when the streams do not cross?
Spy balloon threatens Australia’s fragile China reset
Michael Smith, AFR
High hopes for an Australia-China reset have been tempered just weeks after Xi Jinping extended an olive branch to both Canberra and Washington. The Pentagon’s decision to shoot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon over the United States highlights just how fragile the peace being brokered between the world’s two greatest powers is.
Joseph M. Siracusa, Sky News
China's surveillance balloon was a giant middle finger to America, and the subsequent US response now sets the stage for the communist power to retaliate in the world's most contested airspace, writes Professor Joseph M. Siracusa.
What was China’s spy balloon looking for, and was it sending a message?
Sherryn Groch, The Age
In an age of satellites and drones, this seemed like a spy thriller out of a different time. A large white balloon, dangling surveillance gear, lumbered its way across American skies for a week, hovering above sensitive nuclear missile silos (and stunned civilians) before at last being shot down off the coast.
Australia should prepare for Chinese spy balloons
Michael Smith, AFR
Canberra should be prepared for Beijing to use balloons to spy on Australia, experts warned, after the US military shot down what officials said was a Chinese intelligence-gathering craft that traversed the country for a week.
China’s reopening, America’s challenge
Susannah Patton, Lowy Institute
For the past three years, China’s strategic power has been hobbled by tough zero-Covid restrictions. The country’s self-imposed isolation was longer and harsher than that of any other major country in the world. As China goes through a turbulent reopening, some in the United States may take comfort from seeing the country it describes as its most challenging competitor flounder. Yet, China is likely to emerge from its isolation a more potent and formidable competitor for influence. The US will have to adapt its strategy if it is to compete effectively.
Balloon goes up on US-Sino relations, but what about Australia’s China mania?
Peter Hartcher, The Sydney Morning Herald
We’ll learn more about the China-US balloon incident in the days to come, but one key lesson is clear already: the relationship between the two great powers is extremely brittle.
Annelise Nielsen, Sky News
The President on Tuesday will talk about his plans to tackle inflation and climate change. But he will be delivering his speech in the shadow of a big, Chinese balloon that many say he took way too long to shoot down, writes Annelise Nielsen.
As US-China rivalry heats up, can Australia defuse the risk of superpower conflict?
Susannah Patton, The Guardian
Albanese will need to explain how Australia’s investment in more lethal defence capabilities will make the Indo-Pacific safer – and ensure conflict never occurs.
How Australia withstood China’s campaign of economic warfare
David Uren, The Strategist
It’s too soon to declare an end to China’s economic war against Australia, but the signs are all pointing in that direction, with the meeting between trade ministers of the two countries this week coinciding with the first shipments of Australian coal to China in two years.
How China is using Ukraine to wargame Taiwan
Mick Ryan, The Sydney Morning Herald
President Xi Jinping, and his Central Military Commission, have been paying close attention to the war in Ukraine. Indeed, the Chinese military have become very fast followers of new technologies and techniques in war fighting since their forensic exploration of the US victory in the 1991 Gulf War.
Miriam Webber, The Canberra Times
The Australian War Memorial's decision to pull out its Chinese-linked surveillance cameras could signal a tipping point for the federal government.
US Steps-Up Influence in Nepal in Competition with China
Sapana Phuyal, Australian Institute of International Affairs
US Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland’s recent visit to Nepal, India, and Sri Lanka was a welcome, yet highly charged affair. For Nepal, while new development prospects are welcome, the pressure to choose sides between China and the US is unwanted.
China-made surveillance camera fears extend beyond Canberra
Julian Bajkowski, The Mandarin
Who controls which surveillance cameras can be used by federal government agencies — and critical infrastructure holders — remains a grey area that falls between multiple security agencies overseeing physical, electronic and cyber security, say people familiar with national security concerns. As defence minister Richard Marles was pushed onto the back foot on Thursday after confessionals by government departments using Chinese surveillance hardware were aired by Victorian opposition senator James Paterson, explicit guidance for agencies on surveillance remains mixed at best.
What technologies and tactics are countries using to spy on each other?
Annika Burgess, ABC
It's no secret most countries around the world are watching each other. China gave a brazen reminder of this when one of its suspected spy balloons traversed US airspace — before being shot down — last week. The balloon captivated public attention for being a seemingly peculiar vehicle for espionage. But the US has since said China has used such surveillance balloons to target more than 40 countries on five continents.
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