‘Lift sanctions, free Cheng’ on anniversary, says Rudd: The Australian
Kevin Rudd has urged Beijing to use the upcoming 50th anniversary of Australia-China relations to lift its trade sanctions against Australia and release detained Australian citizen Cheng Lei.
Delivering the JG Crawford Oration at ANU on Monday evening, the former prime minister said Anthony Albanese’s meeting with Xi Jinping at the Bali G20 summit was a “healthy first step” to restoring stability to the relationship.
Dr Rudd said it would be an “important symbol and signal” if China used the December 3 anniversary “to draw a line under the past by removing these sanctions”.
“That would pave the way for resumption of normal diplomatic discourse across all the substantive questions which currently confront the bilateral relationship,” he said.