China Is Watching Australia ‘Very Closely’ on Darwin Port Issue

Beijing is “watching very closely” how Canberra handles the status of a port currently leased to a Chinese firm that the Labor government has pledged to return to local control, and will step in if necessary, China’s envoy to Australia said.

If the port was taken back via forced sale, Beijing has an “obligation to protect the legitimate rights of Chinese companies overseas,” Ambassador Xiao Qian told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday.