China congratulated Albanese on election night. That tells us a lot

China didn't dominate the campaign — but the story of China lingered just beneath the surface of the debate between Albanese and his rival Peter Dutton. China's ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, published two opinion pieces during the campaign — one in the Australian Financial Review, the other in The Australian — outlining Beijing's vision for the bilateral relationship. It was the Northern Territory's Country Liberal Party government that signed the 99-year lease with Landbridge in 2015 under the Coalition government led by Malcolm Turnbull — and any move by Labor to overturn it now would face significant legal, diplomatic and commercial hurdles.

Author: Bang Xiao

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