Prime Minister Scott Morrison does not believe Australia has fuelled its diplomatic row with China by expressing concerns over its proposed Hong Kong security laws.
The Chinese Communist Party unveiled the details of the legislation on Friday, which critics say will affect Hong Kong's rights, freedoms and judicial independence for the 7.5 million people who live there.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne joined her counterpart in the UK Dominic Raab, and in Canada Francois-Philippe Champagne, in saying the laws would be contrary to the legally binding Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984.
Under that pact China agreed to allow Hong Kong to continue as a capitalist economy after the 1997 handover, with its people extended the same democratic rights and freedoms enjoyed under the British for 50 years.
"We are deeply concerned at proposals for introducing legislation related to national security in Hong Kong," the foreign ministers' statement said.
"The legally binding Joint Declaration, signed by China and the United Kingdom, sets out that Hong Kong will have a high degree of autonomy."
Mr Morrison said the statement was consistent with a position Australia has always held.
"I don't find the statement remarkable, I see this completely consistent with everything we have ever said about this issue, both privately and publicly," he told reporters in Murrumbateman, NSW, just outside of the ACT.
Still, it comes at a time of increasing friction between Australia and its number trading partner.
China initially lashed out at Australia's call for an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus that was announced by Senator Payne when she appeared on ABC television's Insiders program a few weeks ago - a probe Labor had backed.
But the Asian giant has since accepted an European Union-led investigation, although not before it slapped a tariff on Australian barley imports and blocked some beef imports.
"If I were the foreign minister I probably would have tried to get some support before I announced (an inquiry). I think that would have been sensible," Labor's foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong told ABC television.
The tariff on Australian barley comes a few months after China agreed to take $40 billion of US barley over the next two years under the first stage of its trade agreement with the US.
Senator Wong has asked questions of a government department about this, and was told there was the possibility of "trade displacement" which she said is code for Australian farmers and exporters being affected.
"Scott Morrison is always very keen to tell us when he has spoken to President Trump," she said.
"I think it is time for him to pick up the phone and speak to him now and ensure that the US-China trade deal does not come at the expense of Australian exporters and Australian jobs."
Australian Associated Press
