The BFD | NZ Joins US to Defend Australia

As China escalates its war of trade and words against Australia, the Morrison government has won the unequivocal support of its key ally, the United States. For now, anyway.

Another key ally, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is taking a rare risk of angering the communist giant by raising her own concerns.

The Trump administration has chided China for its heavy-handed imposition of tariffs on Australian wine, saying it will feature Aussie labels at a White House function this week.

It comes amid deep concern in Washington about the sharp deterioration in Australia-China relations after Beijing tweeted a doctored image of an Australian soldier holding a bloody knife to the throat of an Afghan child.

This is a not-so-subtle middle finger to the Middle Kingdom.

Australian wine will be featured at a White House holiday reception this week. Pity vino lovers in China who, due to Beijing’s coercive tariffs on Aussie vintners, will miss out. #AussieAussieAussieOiOiOi!

China’s use of a fake image of an Australian soldier killing an Afghan child isn’t just sparking outrage in Australia.

The State Department has been angered by the image and is debating how it will respond to China’s provocation which has sparked widespread outrage in Australia.

Meanwhile the White House National Security Council took aim at China over its decision to slap heavy tariffs on Australian wine imports.

The question, of course, is how long Australia can rely on such unequivocal support. If Joe Biden indeed enters the White House in January, the Biden family’s exposed deep financial ties to China pose a potential threat to not only US national security, but to Australia’s ability to stand up against Chinese bullying.

If “the big guy” is still taking his Chinese kickbacks, how long will the US stand up to Beijing?

The ramifications will be felt from Taiwan to Canberra.

Especially when the regime is explicitly linking its attacks to current US policy.

Overnight, an editorial in China’s state-run English language newspaper The Global Times warned trade action would continue while Australia remained a “savage accomplice of US suppression of China”.

No wonder China is openly rooting for a Biden win.

Meanwhile, another of Australia’s closest allies is also taking China to task in a welcome change of direction.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has raised concerns with China over the government-sanctioned posting of a fake image depicting an Australian soldier holding a knife to a girl’s throat.

Ms Ardern — one of Scott Morrison’s Five Eyes intelligence network partners — said in Wellington on Tuesday that the image posted by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian was unfactual and concerning.

“Whether it is Canada or Australia or indeed the United States, we observe closely relationships with our major trading partner China and others. But, of course, we always conduct our relationship in our own interests,” she said.

“I have seen some of the latest discussion over what was a Twitter image… New Zealand has registered directly with Chinese authorities our concern over the use of that image.

“It was an unfactual post and, of course, that would concern us. So, that is something that we have raised directly in the manner that New Zealand does when we have such concerns.”

The Australian

While Ardern’s words are the mildest of rebukes, they seem to signal an interesting change of heart from a prime minister who until now has been openly keen to go all the way with the BRI. Like Australia, New Zealand is heavily compromised by an absurd reliance on China as an export market. New Zealand was one of the first Western nations to sign a non-binding memorandum of arrangement with China on the BRI.

As we have seen, even the merest show of crossing the belligerent dragon is likely to earn a crushing rebuke from the Little Emperor.

To date, Ardern has tried to straddle the barbed-wire fence and keep a foot in each paddock regarding China. It remains to be seen how long she can keep up the balancing act – particularly if China decides to start shoving.