Karen Andrews says Labor cannot afford to ‘squander the opportunity’ to improve bilateral relationship with China

Shadow home affairs minister Karen Andrews has pleaded with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to come to a diplomatic resolution with China following Beijing’s recent military aggression near Taiwan.

China’s Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian addressed the National Press Club on Wednesday saying Beijing was ready to use “any means necessary” to reunify Taiwan and China.

Ms Andrews said Mr Xiao’s comments were “very concerning” for Australia as she urged the Albanese Government to take the time to fix the nation’s relationship with China.

“Labor can’t squander the opportunity to do what it said it was going to do which was the reset of the relationship with China,” she told Sky News Australia.

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“Now clearly a diplomatic resolution is the best way forward for us but Australia needs to maintain its strength and we won’t be bullied by any other nation so let’s be clear what our position is but let’s be open to the opportunities to work with China to resolve the differences.

“We do rely very heavily on our trading relationship with China and whilst it has clearly had some irritance in the past we will all be better off with a good strong relationship into the future.

“But it can’t be a one-sided relationship it can’t be China telling Australia what to do serving up a list of demands and expecting Australia to cave in.”

China has in recent times escalated its presence in the Pacific with several military exercises around Taiwan, which has drawn sharp condemnation from the United States, Japan and Australia.

The People’s Liberation Army lashed out after US Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last week and launched at least a dozen missiles in a show of strength.

Ms Andrews called on Labor to begin acting on its pre-election promise of improving the relations with Beijing which had broke down under the former prime minister Scott Morrison.

“I think it’s really interesting that Labor went into the last election talking about and in fact criticising the Coalition Government about the poor relationship with China,” she said.

“They looked at an opportunity to reset and that opportunity was there for them to reset now arguably the relationship is just as bad if not worse than it was under the Coalition Government.”

Australia currently subscribes to the one-China policy which means it does not recognise Taiwan as a country but it maintains unofficial contacts with the island to promote economic, trade and cultural interests.