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Updated May 1, 2026 \u2014 4:32pm,first published 4:09pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n The Chinese firm that controls the Port of Darwin has launched an international legal battle against Australia in a dramatic escalation of its fight to maintain a controversial long-term lease of the strategically significant asset.<\/p>\n Both Labor and the Coalition went to last year\u2019s election promising to strip Landbridge Group of its 99-year lease of the port and return it to Australian hands, arguing such a move was necessary to protect Australia\u2019s national security.<\/p>\n That pledge has been thrown into doubt by Landbridge owner Ye Cheng\u2019s decision to lodge a case against Australia with the World Bank Group\u2019s International Centre for Settlement of Investor Disputes, a powerful arbitration body established in the 1960s to resolve disputes between international investors and nation states.<\/p>\n In the case, lodged on April 23, the Chinese billionaire argues that the federal government\u2019s effort to terminate its lease of the port should be blocked because it violates the terms of Australia\u2019s free trade deal with China.<\/p>\n The Port of Darwin was leased to Landbridge in 2015 in a $506 million deal. It sits directly opposite the city\u2019s Larrakeyah Defence Precinct, sparking demands for it to be placed under Australian ownership.<\/p>\n Transport and Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said: \u201cThe government is disappointed by this decision and will defend the claim in accordance with established processes.<\/p>\n \u201cThe government has been in good faith discussions with Landbridge to reach a mutually acceptable deal to return the Port of Darwin to Australian ownership for several months. We intend to continue these discussions.\u201d<\/p>\n King said the government had been conducting discussions \u201cin a respectful and private manner and do not think it is in either party\u2019s interest to carry the dispute out in the public domain\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe government remains committed to returning the Port of Darwin to Australian hands,\u201d King said.<\/p>\n Related Article Landbridge said in a statement that the company \u201cconsiders the Commonwealth\u2019s proposed approach to return the Port of Darwin to Australian hands to be discriminatory and inconsistent with Australia\u2019s obligations\u201d under the China-Australia free trade agreement.<\/p>\n \u201cLandbridge acquired its interest in the port through a fair, open and competitive process in full compliance with all applicable Australian laws and regulatory approvals. Multiple Australian Government reviews have confirmed there are no national security concerns,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving engaged with the Commonwealth in an effort to reach a constructive resolution, Landbridge has regrettably been unable to achieve a satisfactory outcome through dialogue alone and is now taking the necessary steps to protect its legal rights.\u201d<\/p>\n Landbridge said it expects the government \u201cto refrain from taking any action adverse to Landbridge\u2019s interests pending the resolution of that dispute\u201d and to give the company \u201cthe full opportunity to have its claim heard and determined in the appropriate legal forum\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cLandbridge will continue to operate the Port of Darwin to the highest standards while this matter is resolved and welcomes the opportunity to engage further with the Commonwealth,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n Investor-state dispute settlement cases typically take around four years to be resolved, but can drag out for longer.<\/p>\n Tobacco giant Philip Morris\u2019 failed attempt to use an investor-state dispute to overturn Australia\u2019s plain packaging laws ran from 2011 to 2015.<\/p>\n Opposition defence spokesman James Paterson said: \u201cThe Albanese government must not cave in to these tactics.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Port of Darwin must be returned to Australia\u2019s sovereign control – as the Prime Minister promised it would during the election.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the operator won\u2019t sell on reasonable commercial terms, the Commonwealth should use the powers available to them under the constitution to force a sale without any further delay.\u201d<\/p>\n Prime Minister Albanese dialled into ABC Darwin radio at short notice during last year\u2019s election campaign to pledge to return the port to Australian hands in a hurried bid to gazump a similar announcement by then opposition leader Peter Dutton.<\/p>\n The Chinese government has opposed Australia\u2019s attempts to take back control of the port, warning it could undermine efforts to stabilise relations between the two nations.<\/p>\n China\u2019s ambassador Xiao Qian said earlier this year that Landbridge had invested significantly in the facility and made it profitable, raising ethical concerns about Australia\u2019s bid to return it to Australian ownership.<\/p>\n Xiao said Beijing would be \u201cwatching very closely\u201d because \u201cthe Chinese government has an obligation to protect the interests, the legitimate interests of Chinese companies overseas\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cSo if anything happens like the port will be taken back by force or forceful measures, then we have an obligation to take measures to protect the Chinese company\u2019s interest,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at the time he announced plans to take it back that \u201cwe are committed to making sure that that port goes back into Australian hands because that is in our national interest\u201d.<\/p>\n Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Justin Bassi said: \u201cThe Port of Darwin is not just a port but is national critical infrastructure which should not be under the control of a strategic adversary.\u201d<\/p>\n A 2023 review by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet found it was not necessary to change or cancel Landbridge\u2019s lease<\/a> because safeguards were in place to manage risks to critical infrastructure.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1777649596_353_dd3ae8bba5e7e3a8d7851da594225078d4fb3440.jpeg\")
The Port of Darwin was leased for nearly a century to Chinese firm Landbridge in a controversial deal. Glenn Campbell<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/16c3171dfe426574c8efa15b86f5f1b639dc88a6.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Matthew](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769630235_926_41bbd81bdfa5a98f70781cb78575df66d9219510.png\")
Matthew Knott<\/a> is the foreign affairs and national security correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X<\/a>, Facebook<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Updated May 1, 2026 \u2014 4:32pm,first published 4:09pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":642990,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-642989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=642989"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642989\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/642990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=642989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=642989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=642989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}