Wednesday, December 02, 2020

Will not be bullied': citizens around the world told to buy Australian wine in stand against China

 When China threatens Australia, it threatens us all. Standing up for our allies and shared values is sometimes costly but when the drinking is this good, doing nothing to protect our Antipodean friends would not just be immoral, it would be a good bottle wasted.

China is humiliating Australia as an example to others - but the bullying won't last



Beijing controls Chinese-language media agencies in Australia, says intel agency

  • by Nick McKenzieKate Wong and Charlotte Grieve




A display of Australian wines at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai on Nov. 5, 2020. China is stepping up pressure on Australia over disputes including its support for a probe into the origin of the coronavirus.

Will not be bullied': citizens around the world told to buy Australian wine in stand against China 🇨🇳 


Millions of people around the world are being urged to buy an Australian bottle of wine or two, as a way of showing Chinese President Xi Jinping that the world will not be intimidated by his "bullying of Australia".

The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), comprising more than 200 MPs from a range of political parties and representing 19 country legislatures, has launched a campaign to convince people to buy and drink Australian wine in December, as a show of solidarity.




More than 200 MPs from 19 different countries are encouraging people to drink Australian wine in protest at ‘authoritarian bullying’


What do a prominent Hong Kong democracy activist, the former prime minister of Sweden and more than 200 parliamentarians from 19 different countries have in common?

They’re all drinking Australian wine to “stand against authoritarian bullying” in response to brutal trade tariffs slapped on the country by China amid an escalating diplomatic standoff.



Kennards’ Self Storage CEO Sam Kennard has put out a call to arms for Australian businesses to fight back and drop suppliers from China

The appeal for a united business front comes in the middle of growing diplomatic tensions between Australia and China, and increased tariffs on Aussie exported goods.

“The Chinese Communist Government has proven to be difficult to trust,” Mr Kennard told NCA NewsWire.


Joe Biden’s incoming administration will “rally” its allies behind Australia as Beijing warns Australia “will pay a price” for siding with the US.

Be very afraid - China threatens ‘lasting punishment’ as Biden backs Australia



Between ports, energy companies, dairy processors, cattle stations, waterfront mansions and country estates – just how much of Australia does China own?

Our biggest trading partner also remains one of our biggest sources of foreign investment, although rising tensionsbetween the two countries have resulted in a sharp drop-off over the past two years.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, China was our ninth-largest foreign investor at the end of 2019 with a total of $78.2 billion, accounting for 2 per cent of the total – however a large amount of Chinese investment comes via Hong Kong, which comes in fifth place with $141 billion, or 3.7 per cent of the total.



undefined

A map showing the various uses of Australia land, commissioned by DFAT and China. Picture: DFAT Source: Supplied


How much of Australia does China own?



Not long ago people were cheering all the manufacturing jobs going to China so we could concentrate on what we do best which, I believe, is investing in real estate.

Graeme Finn, St Peters