Angry Australians call for consumer boycott of Chinese-owned local companies
Many Australians are calling for a boycott of both Chinese imports and products made by local, Chinese-owned companies, as trade tensions between the two countries heighten.
A list of 41 Chinese-owned Australian wineries surfaced online earlier this week, sparking a boycott of their products. Many Australians expressed surprise at the extent of Chinese ownership in the wine industry, and in other economic sectors identified by Australian media.
The developments came after Beijing slapped a 212% tariff of Australian wines and raised its tax on the product by 6%. Australians were also angered by reports that China Bloom was barring locals from using Keswick Island, after the Chinese company bought the island’s lease.
Australians used Twitter to call for a boycott of all Chinese goods and local products made by China-funded companies, after Australian media identified a handful of Chinese-invested firms in industries outside the wine industry.
The Chinese-invested companies included the infant formula producer Bellamy’s, bought by the Chinese diary company Mengniu Dairy last year. The deal was given the green light by the Foreign Investment Review Board, which deemed the acquisition was not contrary to Australia’s national interest, Australia media said.
Power supplier Energy Australia has been a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based China Light and Power since 2011, whereas Alinta Energy was sold to Hong Kong conglomerate Chow Tai Fook in 2017.
The same year saw Australian manufacturer Ansell sell its condom business to China’s Humanwell Healthcare and CITIC.
State-run China Southern Airlines, China’s largest airline, obtained a 100-year lease for Merredin Airport in Western Australia in 1993 for training its aviation manpower. Shandong Landbridge, an infrastructure firm, leased Darwin Port for 99 years in 2015.
Some mainland internet users poked fun at Australian’s boycott, describing it as “silly.” They said China’s previous consumer boycotts of foreign products were all futile.
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