Aussie delegations raise ‘geopolitical challenges’ amid rising Beijing and Taipei tensions
A group of Australian politicians, including the Federal Parliament’s speaker, have posed in front of the Chinese Communist Party flag during a formal visit to the organisation’s Beijing headquarters.
Australian politicians on separate parliamentary delegations to Beijing and Taipei this month have discussed AI, US-China relations, and “geopolitical challenges” as strategic tensions continue to rise across the Taiwan strait.
Speaker Milton Dick on Sunday led a cross-party delegation which included opposition frontbenchers Darren Chester and Melissa Price, as well as Labor MPs Sam Lim, Carina Garland and Sally Sitou, for meetings with senior Communist Party officials in China.
The group was hosted by Liu Haixing, the Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and posed for pictures in front of the Communist Party flag.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.A notice published in Mandarin on the Committee’s website said the meeting was held on Sunday in China’s capital with a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress, Yu Xubo, also in attendance.
“The two sides also exchanged views on topics of common concern, such as China-US relations and the development of artificial intelligence,” a translation of the briefing stated.
The discussion came just days before US President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese leader XI Jinping in Washington ahead of crucial talks on AI development, security and trade.
The Committee’s briefing claimed Mr Dick had talked up Canberra and Beijing’s relationship saying he “stated that Australia highly values its relationship with China” and keeping it “stable and healthy” was “crucial for both sides”.
“Parliamentary and party-to-party exchanges are important components of the bilateral relationship, and all Australian political parties have long adhered to the one-China principle,” a translation of the briefing stated.
Ms Sitou, Dr Garland and Mr Lim all have strong Chinese diasporas in their electorates, while Dr Garland serves as a Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of China group in Canberra.
Despite actively sharing photos on social media about local electorate matters — such as fuel security, health vaccinations or even their support for the Fremantle Dockers — none of the delegation members have posted images from the meeting on their accounts.
The itinerary for the China trip is understood to have been arranged through the Speaker’s office as part of a regular international engagement program.
“Australian parliamentarians regularly engage with political organisations as part of normal international engagement, including in China where delegations have been travelling for decades,” a spokeswoman for the Speaker told The Nightly.
A separate, smaller group of federal MPs has at the same time flown into Taiwan where senior officials on the democratic island have thanked the Australian Government and Parliament for “their long-standing friendship and support”.
Delegation leader, and Senate Deputy President Slade Brockman was quoted in local media as saying Australia and Taiwan faced shared geopolitical challenges in the Indo-Pacific.
“Maintaining regional peace and stability aligns with Australia’s economic and security interests,” the West Australian Liberal Senator reportedly told Taiwanese officials while noting the country was “an indispensable member of the global semiconductor supply chain”.
On Thursday Beijing’s new ambassador to Australia Liu Jinson held a reception to mark the 77th anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China and his assumption to the diplomatic post.
“We must remain true to the original aspiration and uphold the right way of conducting relations between our two countries,” the Ambassador told attendees at the event held inside the Chinese embassy.
“We must promote mutually beneficial and win-win outcomes through practical cooperation,” he said in front of guests which included senior representatives from the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Prime Minister and Cabinet.
The meeting between the American President and Chinese leader this week comes after AI advancement was a focal point during leaders week at the UN General Assembly in New York.
More than 20 world leaders called on governments to act on implementing stronger safeguards on AI, with all eyes on China and the United States as leaders in developing AI frontier models.
Anthony Albanese had joined calls for better regulation and when asked on Tuesday said: “We hope for a positive meeting between President Trump and President Xi.”
