‘This is welcome’: Albanese no longer heading to China

Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Birmingham says the recent cancellation of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s trip to China is “welcome” as Australia should have confidence trade sanctions will be removed before he goes. “We need to be very clear here that China is continuing to apply a punishment, a form of attempted economic coercion in Australia,” Mr Birmingham told Sky News Australia. “It’s done that because it didn’t like domestic policy decisions that Australia made in our national interest. “it’s acting in breach of the commitments that China made to Australia through our free trade agreement. “We should expect that all of those forms of punishment … are removed and that China like Australia agrees and complies fully with the terms of the free trade agreement between our nations. “Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the government should have absolute confidence that we are going to see that type of outcome before he commits to undertaking such a visit. “We should have confidence that these trade sanctions are going to be removed for the Prime Minister to be undertaking such a trip.”

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