Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australians would "speak for ourselves" on global trade.

Australia has swiftly turned down China’s offer to “join hands” against Donald Trump’s tariffs, as Washington escalates its trade war with Beijing.

The White House recently imposed an import tax of 10% on Australian goods, but for China - Australia’s biggest trading partner - raised tariffs to 125%.

China’s ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian argued joint resistance is “the only way” to stop the “hegemonic and bullying behaviour of the US”, appealing for Canberra’s cooperation in an opinion piece on Thursday.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, however, said Australians would “speak for ourselves”, while the country’s defence minister said the nation would not be “holding China’s hand”.

  • enkers@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    131·
    28 days ago

    While I appreciate what China has been doing in the green energy sector, let’s not pretend it’s out of anything other than self preservation. They’re just prescient enough to realise that they need to move away from fossil fuels to not destroy their own future.

    Wish I could say the same for other Western democracies. We’re too hellbent on maintaining materialistic consumerism to properly invest in our own future.

    • evenglow@lemmy.worldEnglish
      212·
      28 days ago

      So what? China fixed climate change and is willing to sell affordable solar and batteries and EVs to the world.

      USA did not do that. China did.

      • enkers@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        61·
        28 days ago

        My point is that acting out of self interest doesn’t constitute being “nice”. They’re still willing to meddle in the internal politics of other nations if it benefits themselves, just like the US is.