The RCEP, signed on Sunday, is a huge trade agreement that brings together 14 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including China and Australia, in a huge free trade deal.
But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian made it clear that no clashes were observed during his daily news conference in Beijing on Tuesday. Zhao said the Chinese government has not been blamed for the breakdown in relations.
“(They) then took a number of wrong actions regarding China, which is due to the sharp decline in Sino-Australian relations and the root cause of the current difficult situation … there is no obligation to cause this situation.” Said.
Zhao described three areas in which Australia offended the Chinese government – one of which was the decision to summon Morrison for an international inquiry. “(This) seriously interfered with international cooperation on epidemic prevention and control,” he added.
Zhao also expelled Australia for repeatedly commenting on human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, as well as the Chinese military’s threatening behavior toward Taiwan’s self-governing island. “These practices have heavily interfered in China’s internal affairs and seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese people,” Zhao said.
“It does not mean that we will compromise in any way in terms of our values, our security, our interests, but it does mean that the door is open from an Australian Australian perspective.”
“We have reached every possible level and on the way.”
Zhao’s remarks came during a meeting between Prime Minister Morrison and Japanese leader Yoshihide Suga in Tokyo, after Australia and Japan agreed “in principle” to a landmark defense treaty between the two countries.
A statement from Morrison’s office said the agreement would “facilitate a more and more complex operational alliance between the Australian Defense Force and the Japanese Self-Defense Force” and “also support our joint involvement in a comprehensive multilateral exercise.”
In his first face-to-face meeting with Suga, Morris thanked Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s predecessor for six years of negotiating the agreement.
CNN’s Sophie Zheng contributed to this article.
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