ADVERTISEMENT

China Feels ‘Singled Out’ By Australia Push for Covid-19 Inquiry

China Feels ‘Singled Out’ By Australia Push for Covid-19 Inquiry

China feels unfairly “singled out” by Australia’s push for an inquiry into the origins of Covid-19, with a top diplomat in the country suggesting Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government was helping the U.S. attack Beijing.

In an address to reporters in Canberra on Wednesday, China’s deputy head of mission to Australia, Wang Xining, noted Covid-19 was first identified in China but scientists must still report their findings on its origin.

China Feels ‘Singled Out’ By Australia Push for Covid-19 Inquiry

“We were singled out,” Wang said. “We don’t think it is fair.”

He provided no clear answers to questions on whether Beijing’s trade sanctions on beef and barley exports were retaliation over Morrison’s calls for the virus investigation.

“The trade disputes will be dealt with through diplomatic and trade consultations,” Wang said, adding that Australia’s alliance with U.S. wasn’t the problem. The issue, he said, was “using the strength of the alliance to strike China down, or press China down, like some U.S. politicians are doing.”

Ties between the two trading partners have been increasingly frayed even before Morrison’s push for the virus inquiry. Australia has also banned Huawei Technologies Co. from participating in its 5G network and passed a law to stem foreign interference that was seen as a response to China’s growing influence.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.