China Criticizes Australia’s Plans to Terminate Port of Darwin Lease

China has voiced concerns over plans by both major Australian political parties to end a Chinese company’s lease on the Port of Darwin, a move that threatens to strain recently improved bilateral relations, as per Bloomberg.

The criticism comes ahead of a closely contested Australian national election scheduled for May 3.

“We urge Australia to provide a fair, non-discriminatory and predictable business environment for Chinese business there,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian stated at a regular press briefing on Monday, responding to questions about the potential termination of Landbridge Group’s 99-year lease.

The 2015 lease held by Landbridge Group, a Chinese company, has become a prominent issue in the upcoming Australian election. Both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and opposition Liberal leader Peter Dutton have pledged to end the deal and seek a new private owner for the port.

Relations between Beijing and Canberra have seen improvement since the election of the center-left Labor government in 2022. This followed a period of tension sparked by disputes over the origins of COVID-19, which led to a de facto ban on the sale of various Australian goods in China.