Australian Parliament Passes Bill To Cancel Agreements

Australian parliament passes bill to cancel agreements with foreign countries, tension may increase with China.

A bill was passed in the Australian Parliament on Tuesday, under which agreements with foreign countries can be canceled by citing foreign policy.

This may increase tensions between Australia and China. China had earlier warned that this law could cause bilateral relations to deteriorate further.

Under the new law, the Foreign Minister of Australia will be able to cancel agreements between other nations and sub-national bodies.

Such as state and territory governments, local councils, and universities, according to the South China Morning Post report if they believe they will be able to The policy is being affected.

Foreign Minister Morris Payne said the legislation would ensure that the agreements are in line with Australia’s foreign policy. This new law is expected to increase tensions between Australia and China.

According to the South China Morning Post, this law was cited by China as one of the 14 reasons for deteriorating relations.

The list was released last month through the Chinese Embassy in Canberra. This includes a ban on Huawei over 5G and an ‘anti-China’ media report.

Relations between China and Australia have been bad since April. During this time Australia demanded an independent international investigation into the origin of the corona epidemic.

China then banned billions of dollars of Australian exports citing dumping and other trade violations. This includes beef, barley, and wine. Analysts widely consider economic retaliation.

Amid deteriorating relations between the two countries, earlier this month, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian shared a doctored image on his Twitter handle.

In it, an Australian soldier was seen killing an Afghan child. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison severely criticized the Chinese government for this and asked for an apology.

China refused to apologize and said Australia should be ashamed. Earlier this month, China was deeply distressed by Australian participation in the Malabar naval exercise.