Chinese-born Australian journalist Cheng Lei attends a signing ceremony by Premier Li Qiang and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Australian Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on June 17, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Australia voiced concern on June 18 about the “ham-fisted” actions of two Chinese diplomats at a media event, tarnishing a highly touted visit in which Premier Li Qiang has sought to celebrate trade and friendship.

China’s second-most powerful man has posed in front of giant pandas, warmly toasted Australian wine, and highlighted the need to peacefully work through “differences” during his rare trip to Australia.

But the carefully choreographed tour briefly unravelled during a signing ceremony inside Australia’s parliament on Monday, when two Chinese diplomats appeared to shadow high-profile Australian journalist Cheng Lei.

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Ms. Cheng returned to Australia in October last year after three years detained in China on opaque spying charges and has spoken unflinchingly of her bleak prison conditions.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticised the “ham-fisted” behaviour, saying Australia had “followed up with the Chinese embassy to express our concern”.

“When you look at the footage, it was a pretty clumsy attempt, frankly, by a couple of people to stand in between where the cameras were and where Cheng Lei was sitting,” he told national broadcaster ABC.

“And Australian officials intervened, as they should have, to ask the Chinese officials who were there at the press conference to move.”

Footage showed two Chinese diplomats hovering next to a seated Ms. Cheng, repeatedly ignoring requests to move from animated Australian officials.

Ms. Cheng said they “went to great lengths to block me from the cameras”.

“And I’m guessing that’s to prevent me from saying something or doing something that they think would be a bad look,” she told Sky News Australia.

“But that itself is a bad look.”

Mr. Albanese had told Mr. Li in closed-door talks just hours earlier that “foreign interference wasn’t acceptable in Australia’s political system”.

Lingering ‘differences’

The highest-ranking Chinese official to visit Australia since 2017, Mr. Li’s visit shows the growing rapprochement between Beijing and Canberra after a years-long trade dispute.

“Of course, we all know that in the past few years, our bilateral relations also encountered some difficulties and twists and turns,” Mr. Li said before departing Australia on Tuesday afternoon.

“But thanks to the joint efforts of both sides, the bilateral relations have been put back on the right track.”

Asked about the Cheng Lei incident and Mr. Albanese’s remarks on Tuesday, Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesman said he was “not aware of the specific situation you mentioned”.

“But I can tell you that as far as I know, the ninth China-Australia Annual Prime Ministers’ Meeting and other activities have been held smoothly and achieved positive results,” Lin Jian told a regular news briefing.

Premier Li ended his visit with a tour of a Chinese-controlled lithium refiner in Western Australia, a sign of his country’s vast appetite for Australia’s critical minerals.

Australia extracts 52% of the world’s lithium, the vast majority of it exported as ore to China for refining and use in batteries.

It is a crucial ingredient in China’s world-dominant electric vehicle industry.

China’s involvement in the country’s critical mineral industry is sensitive because of its dominance of global supply chains.

Despite the goodwill on show, both sides have acknowledged lingering “differences” — a nod to diplomatic jostling in the Pacific.

“We won’t always agree, and the points in which we disagree won’t simply disappear if we leave them in silence,” Mr. Albanese said.

Australia accused China last month of “unsafe and unprofessional” conduct after one of its warplanes allegedly fired flares in the path of a naval helicopter over the Yellow Sea.

It also said late last year a Chinese destroyer blasted Australian navy divers with dangerous sonar pulses.

Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles speaks alongside Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong during an Australia and South Korea Foreign and Defence Ministers meeting in Melbourne, Australia, on May 1, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Australia has protested to Beijing that a Chinese fighter jet endangered an Australian navy helicopter with flares in international waters, officials said May 6.

The incident occurred on May 4 as the Australian air warfare destroyer HMAS Hobart was enforcing United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea in international waters in the Yellow Sea, the Defence Department said in a statement.

A Chinese Chengdu J-10 fighter jet released flares in the flight path of an Australian Navy Seahawk deployed from the Hobart 300 meters in front of the helicopter and 60 meters (197 feet) above, Defence Minister Richard Marles said.

“This was an incident which was both unsafe and unprofessional,” Mr. Marles told Nine News television.

“We will not be deterred from engaging in lawful activities and activities which are there to enforce U.N. sanctions in respect of North Korea,” Mr. Marles added.

There were no injuries or damage, the Defense Department said, adding the Australian government expressed concerns to the Chinese government. There was no immediate comment from Beijing on May 6.

It was the most serious encounter between the two nations’ forces since Australia accused the Chinese destroyer CNS Ningbo of injuring Australian navy divers with sonar pulses in Japanese waters in November last year. Australia said China disregarded a safety warning to keep away from the Australian frigate HMAS Toowoomba.

China maintains that the encounter happened outside Japanese territorial waters and that the Chinese warship caused no harm.

Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to visit Australia this year for the first time in a decade as bilateral relations have improved in recent years from unprecedented lows.