China has sent an American-educated “Asia enforcer” to be its new ambassador to Australia, in what diplomatic sources said could signal an aggressive shift in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s thinking.
“Australia is an important country,” incoming Chinese ambassador Liu Jinsong said in a statement overnight.
“Serving as the 16th ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Australia feels like taking the baton in a relay race – a duty that fills me with immense honour and a profound sense of responsibility.”
He went on to praise Australians as having the “same resilient and self-reliant character” as the Chinese, and remarked on how “strikingly familiar” Australia felt when he first visited three decades ago.
“Our two countries carry no historical grievances or fundamental conflicts of interest,” Mr Liu said.
“Our economies are highly complementary, our cultures enrich each other, and our prospects for co-operation are bright.”
However, he added that “managing differences constructively and aligning expectations will be crucial moving forward”.
“President Xi Jinping has devoted immense care and effort to guiding and steering the course of China-Australia relations,” he said.
“As his representative, I will fulfil my duties with unwavering dedication, listen attentively with humility, safeguard China’s national interests, implement the consensus reached by our leaders, serve my fellow Chinese citizens in Australia, and act as a devoted guardian and promoter of the China-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.”
Diplomatic cables have for weeks heralded Mr Liu’s arrival to Canberra’s tight-knit community of foreign government representatives.
Holding a masters of economics from Tufts University in the US, he has garnered a reputation as a fierce champion of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) goals in Asia over his 33-year career.
“He knows the game in Taiwan, in Hong Kong, in Macao – what (the Chinese government) does overtly and in the grey,” one diplomatic source said.
Speaking to NewsWire on condition of anonymity, they said Mr Liu was an “astute negotiator who knows when to use the carrot and when to use the stick”.
Another described Mr Liu as an “Asia enforcer” often deployed to have “tough conversations”, pointing to an encounter between him and a senior Japanese official captured late last year.
In that encounter, the head of Japan’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau was filmed bowing to Mr Liu after talks aimed at cooling a diplomatic row over comments the Japanese prime minister made about Taiwan.
“This is how the CCP wants him to be seen, anyway,” the source said.
Australian Institute of International Affairs chief executive Bryce Wakefield largely agreed, but cautioned against labelling him a “wolf warrior” because “that may be too simplistic”.
“He is clearly capable of adopting a forceful public posture, as his handling of the recent dispute with Japan demonstrated, but his career also points to an experienced policy official and technocratic negotiator,” he told NewsWire.
“His background is unusually broad. In addition to substantial experience dealing with Japan, he has served as ambassador to Afghanistan, held a senior posting in India, led the foreign ministry’s Policy Planning Department and worked on international economic affairs.
“He also spent time in the Taiwan Affairs Office before serving in the foreign ministry department responsible for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, suggesting that Beijing has trusted him with politically sensitive portfolios.”
Dr Wakefield said picking a recent Asia Department chief was itself “significant”.
“It suggests Beijing sees Canberra as an important regional-policy posting, particularly as the two countries manage differences over Taiwan, AUKUS, the Pacific, critical minerals and the Port of Darwin,” he said.
“Overall, I would describe him as a senior, politically trusted and strategically experienced diplomat who can be pragmatic in negotiation but assertive when Beijing wants a firm message delivered – not simply as a conventional wolf warrior.”
Nathan Attrill, China-Taiwan expert at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, largely agreed.
He said Mr Liu’s appointment signalled that “Beijing wants an experienced and politically trusted Asia specialist in Canberra”.
“He is likely to be an assertive advocate for China’s interests, but also a pragmatic diplomat tasked with preserving the recent stabilisation in ties,” Dr Attrill told NewsWire.
“His main challenge will be managing disputes over Taiwan, the South China Sea, the Pacific and foreign interference without allowing them to derail the economic relationship.”
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