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

At the risk of stating the obvious, as Senator Patrick referred to earlier, I will make a contribution on behalf of the government. It's similar to contributions that have been made previously on very similar references—that is, about our relationship with China, which, as has been characterised, is important, complex and engages the full range of national interests. Our government will continue to be clear and consistent in the management of our relations with China. We 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 contribute to regional prosperity, stability and security. We manage any bilateral difficulties from a national interest perspective on a basis of mutual respect, including on issues of sovereignty, for which we make no apology.