Free Republic

While political tensions between Beijing and Canberra were largely left aside, WA Premier Mark McGowan used an event with the state's top Chinese diplomat to lament the eastern states' failure to acknowledge China's contribution to Australia's economic success. Neither McGowan nor Consul General Long Dingbin made mention of their nations' ongoing trade war, the AUKUS deal and the nuclear submarines that come with it, or the fact that Australian Federal Ministers cannot get their Chinese counterparts to pick up the phone. As guests of honor, alongside mining magnate Andrew Forrest, they both highlighted the strong relationship WA had with China...