Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Hansard source

Just on Senator Patrick's motion, there will be only a brief contribution from the government. I thank the opposition for drawing that to the chair's attention. Australia's relationship with China is important. It is complex and it engages the full range of national interests. We will continue to be clear and consistent in the management of our relations with China. We will reject any attempts to politicise this. There's great benefit to our close cooperation with China on issues of mutual interest, including on how we can contribute to regional prosperity, stability and also security. We manage any bilateral issues from a national interest perspective on the basis of mutual respect, including on issues of sovereignty, for which we make no apology.