China has sent an American-educated \u201cAsia enforcer\u201d to be its new ambassador to Australia, in what diplomatic sources said could signal an aggressive shift in Chinese President Xi Jinping\u2019s thinking.<\/p>\n
\u201cAustralia is an important country,\u201d incoming Chinese ambassador Liu Jinsong said in a statement overnight.<\/p>\n
\u201cServing as the 16th ambassador of the People\u2019s Republic of China to Australia feels like taking the baton in a relay race \u2013 a duty that fills me with immense honour and a profound sense of responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
He went on to praise Australians as having the \u201csame resilient and self-reliant character\u201d as the Chinese, and remarked on how \u201cstrikingly familiar\u201d Australia felt when he first visited three decades ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur two countries carry no historical grievances or fundamental conflicts of interest,\u201d Mr Liu said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur economies are highly complementary, our cultures enrich each other, and our prospects for co-operation are bright.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, he added that \u201cmanaging differences constructively and aligning expectations will be crucial moving forward\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cPresident Xi Jinping has devoted immense care and effort to guiding and steering the course of China-Australia relations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs his representative, I will fulfil my duties with unwavering dedication, listen attentively with humility, safeguard China\u2019s national interests, implement the consensus reached by our leaders, serve my fellow Chinese citizens in Australia, and act as a devoted guardian and promoter of the China-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diplomatic cables have for weeks heralded Mr Liu\u2019s arrival to Canberra\u2019s tight-knit community of foreign government representatives.<\/p>\n
Holding a masters of economics from Tufts University in the US, he has garnered a reputation as a fierce champion of the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s (CCP\u2019s) goals in Asia over his 33-year career.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows the game in Taiwan, in Hong Kong, in Macao \u2013 what (the Chinese government) does overtly and in the grey,\u201d one diplomatic source said.<\/p>\n
Speaking to NewsWire on condition of anonymity, they said Mr Liu was an \u201castute negotiator who knows when to use the carrot and when to use the stick\u201d.<\/p>\n
Another described Mr Liu as an \u201cAsia enforcer\u201d often deployed to have \u201ctough conversations\u201d, pointing to an encounter between him and a senior Japanese official captured late last year.<\/p>\n
In that encounter, the head of Japan\u2019s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau was filmed bowing to Mr Liu after talks aimed at cooling a diplomatic row over comments the Japanese prime minister made about Taiwan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is how the CCP wants him to be seen, anyway,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n
Australian Institute of International Affairs chief executive Bryce Wakefield largely agreed, but cautioned against labelling him a \u201cwolf warrior\u201d because \u201cthat may be too simplistic\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is clearly capable of adopting a forceful public posture, as his handling of the recent dispute with Japan demonstrated, but his career also points to an experienced policy official and technocratic negotiator,\u201d he told NewsWire.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis background is unusually broad. In addition to substantial experience dealing with Japan, he has served as ambassador to Afghanistan, held a senior posting in India, led the foreign ministry\u2019s Policy Planning Department and worked on international economic affairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe also spent time in the Taiwan Affairs Office before serving in the foreign ministry department responsible for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, suggesting that Beijing has trusted him with politically sensitive portfolios.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Wakefield said picking a recent Asia Department chief was itself \u201csignificant\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt suggests Beijing sees Canberra as an important regional-policy posting, particularly as the two countries manage differences over Taiwan, AUKUS, the Pacific, critical minerals and the Port of Darwin,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOverall, I would describe him as a senior, politically trusted and strategically experienced diplomat who can be pragmatic in negotiation but assertive when Beijing wants a firm message delivered \u2013 not simply as a conventional wolf warrior.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan Attrill, China-Taiwan expert at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, largely agreed.<\/p>\n
He said Mr Liu\u2019s appointment signalled that \u201cBeijing wants an experienced and politically trusted Asia specialist in Canberra\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is likely to be an assertive advocate for China\u2019s interests, but also a pragmatic diplomat tasked with preserving the recent stabilisation in ties,\u201d Dr Attrill told NewsWire.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis main challenge will be managing disputes over Taiwan, the South China Sea, the Pacific and foreign interference without allowing them to derail the economic relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n
China\u2019s ire over uni decision<\/p>\n
Mr Liu\u2019s arrival came a day after the Chinese foreign ministry accused Australia of falsely invoking national security concerns to axe a partnership between top Australian and Chinese universities.<\/p>\n
Foreign Minister Penny Wong earlier this month ordered The Australian National University to end its Joint Science College with Shandong University.<\/p>\n
Under the venture, Chinese students would study for three years in China before a two-year stint at ANU\u2019s sprawling Canberra campus \u2013 a recruitment and training ground for defence and intelligence agencies.<\/p>\n
\u201cChina opposes abusing the concept of national security to restrict and go after normal international co-operation on education and research,\u201d Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Monday evening.<\/p>\n
Beijing has kept tight-lipped on the decision, choosing instead to air its displeasure via state media.<\/p>\n
China Daily, the biggest English-language newspaper in China, last week cited the Australian Studies Centre\u2019s deputy director as warning \u201cthe pan-securitisation of education and scientific research \u2026 has already started to hinder normal bilateral exchanges, resulting in some cases a chilling effect\u201d.<\/p>\n
The academic warned it could spill into other aspects of the relationship and ultimately \u201cjeopardise a vital channel for deepening mutual understanding and maintaining dialogue between the two nations\u201d.<\/p>\n
Senator Wong terminated the ANU partnership after the US added Shandong University to a blacklist of \u201cforeign institutions engaging in problematic activities\u201d.<\/p>\n
The list is comprised of Chinese, Russian and Iranian institutions.<\/p>\n