Canceling The Belt And Road Initiative Agreement With China, Foreign Minister Payne: For The National Interest

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne. (Wikimedia Commons / The Official CTBTO Photostream)

JAKARTA - The Australian government announced a decision to cancel two agreements between the State of Victoria and China in the Belt and Road Initiative.

This measure was taken by Foreign Minister Marise Payne and announced the evening of Wednesday, April 21. Payne said his party had notified the Chinese side before this decision was announced.

Speaking on the radio on Thursday, Payne said he had received a thousand notices from the states about the deals they have with foreign governments under a new process that grants him veto power over the arrangement.

"This scheme is very focused on Australia's national interests. It's about ensuring the consistency of our foreign relations across Australia and definitely not aimed at one country", he told ABC radio's AM program, as reported by Reuters Thursday, April 22.

Payne added that Australia is committed to staying in touch with China. He also called on all governments around the world to respect the decision-making authority of the Australian Government.

Earlier, the Chinese Embassy criticized Payne's move to veto two framework agreements signed by the state of Victoria. This step is considered provocative and will further damage China's relationship with Australia.

"This would be another and another provocative step was taken by the Australian side against China", the Chinese Embassy said in a statement.

To note, Australia's conservative coalition government refuses to agree to a country-level Belt and Road Initiative deal with China.

But Victorian Prime Minister Dan Andrews signed an agreement to promote infrastructure development initiatives in 2018 and 2019, saying it would bring Chinese investment into his country.

Diplomatic relations between Australia and China have deteriorated since Canberra called for an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus, which Beijing retaliated with a trade war.