Australia complains to China about live-fire exercise as Albanese begins Shanghai tourism mission
Foreign Minister Penny Wong raised Australia's concerns about the heavily armed flotilla that circumnavigated Australia earlier this year in a meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of a regional meeting in Malaysia on Friday, the government confirmed.
Her expression of disapproval at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a day after she warned of China's rapid military build-up, serves as a reminder of the points of difference with Australia's largest trading partner even after years of calmer relations under Labor.
The emergence of a Chinese flotilla sailing around Australia's east coast in February sparked concern in Canberra about the lack of notice of live-firing, despite the voyage being conducted in accordance with international law.
Flanked by a delegation of Australian captains of industry, the prime minister arrived in Shanghai on Saturday, where he will announce a memorandum of understanding between Tourism Australia and Chinese-owned Trip.com.
The site is the world's largest booking platform and owns Skyscanner and MakeMyTrip. The deal is designed to give Australia a leg-up over other nations in the lucrative Chinese holiday market, which is worth $9.2 billion to Australia.
A new tourism video featuring award-winning Chinese actor Yu Shu, under the banner of Australia's 'Come and Say G'day' campaign, will also be released.
Albanese said Australia's relationship with China went beyond beef, barley, red wine and lobster, all of which were blocked from China after the ruling Chinese Communist Party punished the Morrison government for its blunt criticisms of China's actions particularly during the pandemic.
'Expanding our tourism relationship with China will mean more jobs for Australians and a boost to Australian businesses,' Albanese said in a statement marking the start of his six-day visit to China.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
32 minutes ago
- West Australian
Nvidia boss Jensen Huang brushes off US fears that China's military will use his firm's chips
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has downplayed US fears that his firm's chips will aid the Chinese military, days ahead of another trip to the country as he attempts to walk a tightrope between Washington and Beijing. In an interview with CNN aired Sunday, Mr Huang said 'we don't have to worry about' China's military using U.S.-made technology because 'they simply can't rely on it.' 'It could be limited at any time; not to mention, there's plenty of computing capacity in China already,' Huang said. 'They don't need Nvidia's chips, certainly, or American tech stacks in order to build their military,' he said. The comments were made in reference to years of bipartisan U.S. policy that placed restrictions on semiconductor companies, prohibiting them from selling their most advanced artificial intelligence chips to clients in China. Huang also repeated past criticisms of the policies, arguing that the tactic of export controls has been counterproductive to the ultimate goal of US tech leadership. 'We want the American tech stack to be the global standard ... in order for us to do that, we have to be in search of all the AI developers in the world,' Huang said, adding that half of the world's AI developers are in China. That means for America to be an AI leader, U.S. technology has to be available to all markets, including China, he added. Washington's latest restrictions on Nvidia's sales to China were implemented in April and are expected to result in billions in losses for the company. In May, Huang said chip restrictions had already cut Nvidia's China market share nearly in half. Huang's CNN interview came just days before he travels to China for his second trip to the country this year, and as Nvidia is reportedly working on another chip that is compliant with the latest export controls. Last week, the Nvidia CEO met with U.S. President Donald Trump, and was warned by U.S. lawmakers not to meet with companies connected to China's military or intelligence bodies, or entities named on America's restricted export list. According to Daniel Newman, CEO of tech advisory firm The Futurum Group, Huang's CNN interview exemplifies how Huang has been threading a needle between Washington and Beijing as it tries to maintain maximum market access. 'He needs to walk a proverbial tightrope to make sure that he doesn't rattle the Trump administration,' Newman said, adding that he also wants to be in a position for China to invest in Nvidia technology if and when the policy provides a better climate to do so. CNBC
Sky News AU
33 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
WATCH LIVE: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese shares details after meeting with China's President Xi Jinping
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is speaking to reporters after his fourth face-to-face meeting with China's President Xi Jinping. Subscribe to to watch the media conference live. Mr Albanese labelled the congregation the "most important meeting", with President Xi expressing China is ready to push their relationship further in order to maintain peace, security, and stability between the two nations. Australians will learn what was addressed in the talks and what was left to one side as the Prime Minister navigates ongoing criticism over his apparent neglect of Australia's US alliance over defence spending. One of the biggest discussions between Mr Albanese and President Xi is the Port of Darwin. With the Australian and Chinese national flags hanging from the walls in the Great Hall, the Prime Minister received a warm welcome in Beijing after arriving in China on the weekend.
The Advertiser
37 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Is it legal for auto brands to make you service your car at their dealers to keep your warranty?
More auto brands in Australia are offering extended new-vehicle warranties on the condition that owners have their cars serviced only by official dealership workshops. MG is the latest brand to force customers to service their vehicle within its own dealer network to receive the Chinese brand's full 10-year/200,000km warranty, which was implemented in August 2024 without such a condition. For vehicles purchased from July 1, 2025, if customers don't service their vehicle at an MG dealership, they only receive the brand's standard seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. MG recently also announced a reduced seven-year/200,000km warranty for private buyers of its commercial vehicles including the upcoming MG U9 dual-cab ute – due on sale in Australia later this year – and only a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty for customers who choose to service their vehicle elsewhere. This drops further to five years or 160,000km (once again whichever comes first) if the U9 is being pressed into commercial use. Similarly, Nissan and Mitsubishi also offer 10-year extended warranties for their new vehicles on the condition that buyers service the vehicle at their respective brands' dealerships (limited to 300,000km by Nissan and 200,000km by Mitsubishi). Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Owners who service elsewhere are only offered a five-year warranty, with Mitsubishi's standard warranty also limited to 100,000km but Nissan's stipulating no mileage limit. However, the practice is perfectly legal, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). "Manufacturer warranties can come with conditions, such as conditions on servicing or repairs," an ACCC spokesperson told CarExpert. "Manufacturers may offer such warranties as a selling point to differentiate the products they are selling." Such conditions can only be deemed illegal if they are anti-competitive – something Mitsubishi ensured would not be the case when it introduced its 10-year 'Diamond Advantage' warranty in 2020. The automaker applied for an exemption from the ACCC, which evaluated Mitsubishi's warranty conditions, definition of servicing centres and whether the conditions were anti-competitive. The ACCC deemed Mitsubishi's extended warranty is not anti-competitive, enabling Mitsubishi to offer it to consumers and remain protected from legal action by the ACCC's 'exemption'. It gives the manufacturer the right to not offer a longer warranty unless its chosen conditions – in this case servicing – are met. "Warranties are extra promises that a business can choose to make on top of the consumer guarantees," said an ACCC spokesperson. However, both standard warranties and extended warranties – whether customers pay extra for them or they're attached to servicing conditions – are separate from the 'automatic guarantees' that protect buyers under Australian Consumer Law (ACL). This means auto brands can include the condition of servicing with their extended and even standard warranties, without any impact on consumer rights even if the vehicle is serviced by an independent workshop. "Under the Australian Consumer Law, when consumers buy products and services they come with automatic guarantees. These include that products are fit for purpose and are of acceptable quality," said the ACCC. The key point here is that 'consumer guarantees', as the ACCC describes them, are not the same as standard or extended warranties. "Consumer guarantees are automatic and can't be taken away," says the ACCC. If they are, penalties can be enforced – including hefty fines. Mazda Australia was fined $11.5 million in January 2024 after a Federal Court appeal was dismissed, because it was deemed to have failed to "apply the consumer guarantee provisions of the Australian Consumer Law". In 2018, Ford Australia was made to pay $10 million – the maximum fine possible at the time – for 'unconscionable' conduct towards customers who encountered faulty Powershift dual-clutch automatic transmissions in Focus, Fiesta and Mondeo vehicles. The ACCC told CarExpert: "The consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law may continue to apply after a manufacturer warranty period has expired, and regardless of whether an independent operator has serviced or repaired the product." MORE: Which brands offer the nest new car warranties in Australia? Content originally sourced from: More auto brands in Australia are offering extended new-vehicle warranties on the condition that owners have their cars serviced only by official dealership workshops. MG is the latest brand to force customers to service their vehicle within its own dealer network to receive the Chinese brand's full 10-year/200,000km warranty, which was implemented in August 2024 without such a condition. For vehicles purchased from July 1, 2025, if customers don't service their vehicle at an MG dealership, they only receive the brand's standard seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. MG recently also announced a reduced seven-year/200,000km warranty for private buyers of its commercial vehicles including the upcoming MG U9 dual-cab ute – due on sale in Australia later this year – and only a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty for customers who choose to service their vehicle elsewhere. This drops further to five years or 160,000km (once again whichever comes first) if the U9 is being pressed into commercial use. Similarly, Nissan and Mitsubishi also offer 10-year extended warranties for their new vehicles on the condition that buyers service the vehicle at their respective brands' dealerships (limited to 300,000km by Nissan and 200,000km by Mitsubishi). Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Owners who service elsewhere are only offered a five-year warranty, with Mitsubishi's standard warranty also limited to 100,000km but Nissan's stipulating no mileage limit. However, the practice is perfectly legal, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). "Manufacturer warranties can come with conditions, such as conditions on servicing or repairs," an ACCC spokesperson told CarExpert. "Manufacturers may offer such warranties as a selling point to differentiate the products they are selling." Such conditions can only be deemed illegal if they are anti-competitive – something Mitsubishi ensured would not be the case when it introduced its 10-year 'Diamond Advantage' warranty in 2020. The automaker applied for an exemption from the ACCC, which evaluated Mitsubishi's warranty conditions, definition of servicing centres and whether the conditions were anti-competitive. The ACCC deemed Mitsubishi's extended warranty is not anti-competitive, enabling Mitsubishi to offer it to consumers and remain protected from legal action by the ACCC's 'exemption'. It gives the manufacturer the right to not offer a longer warranty unless its chosen conditions – in this case servicing – are met. "Warranties are extra promises that a business can choose to make on top of the consumer guarantees," said an ACCC spokesperson. However, both standard warranties and extended warranties – whether customers pay extra for them or they're attached to servicing conditions – are separate from the 'automatic guarantees' that protect buyers under Australian Consumer Law (ACL). This means auto brands can include the condition of servicing with their extended and even standard warranties, without any impact on consumer rights even if the vehicle is serviced by an independent workshop. "Under the Australian Consumer Law, when consumers buy products and services they come with automatic guarantees. These include that products are fit for purpose and are of acceptable quality," said the ACCC. The key point here is that 'consumer guarantees', as the ACCC describes them, are not the same as standard or extended warranties. "Consumer guarantees are automatic and can't be taken away," says the ACCC. If they are, penalties can be enforced – including hefty fines. Mazda Australia was fined $11.5 million in January 2024 after a Federal Court appeal was dismissed, because it was deemed to have failed to "apply the consumer guarantee provisions of the Australian Consumer Law". In 2018, Ford Australia was made to pay $10 million – the maximum fine possible at the time – for 'unconscionable' conduct towards customers who encountered faulty Powershift dual-clutch automatic transmissions in Focus, Fiesta and Mondeo vehicles. The ACCC told CarExpert: "The consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law may continue to apply after a manufacturer warranty period has expired, and regardless of whether an independent operator has serviced or repaired the product." MORE: Which brands offer the nest new car warranties in Australia? Content originally sourced from: More auto brands in Australia are offering extended new-vehicle warranties on the condition that owners have their cars serviced only by official dealership workshops. MG is the latest brand to force customers to service their vehicle within its own dealer network to receive the Chinese brand's full 10-year/200,000km warranty, which was implemented in August 2024 without such a condition. For vehicles purchased from July 1, 2025, if customers don't service their vehicle at an MG dealership, they only receive the brand's standard seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. MG recently also announced a reduced seven-year/200,000km warranty for private buyers of its commercial vehicles including the upcoming MG U9 dual-cab ute – due on sale in Australia later this year – and only a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty for customers who choose to service their vehicle elsewhere. This drops further to five years or 160,000km (once again whichever comes first) if the U9 is being pressed into commercial use. Similarly, Nissan and Mitsubishi also offer 10-year extended warranties for their new vehicles on the condition that buyers service the vehicle at their respective brands' dealerships (limited to 300,000km by Nissan and 200,000km by Mitsubishi). Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Owners who service elsewhere are only offered a five-year warranty, with Mitsubishi's standard warranty also limited to 100,000km but Nissan's stipulating no mileage limit. However, the practice is perfectly legal, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). "Manufacturer warranties can come with conditions, such as conditions on servicing or repairs," an ACCC spokesperson told CarExpert. "Manufacturers may offer such warranties as a selling point to differentiate the products they are selling." Such conditions can only be deemed illegal if they are anti-competitive – something Mitsubishi ensured would not be the case when it introduced its 10-year 'Diamond Advantage' warranty in 2020. The automaker applied for an exemption from the ACCC, which evaluated Mitsubishi's warranty conditions, definition of servicing centres and whether the conditions were anti-competitive. The ACCC deemed Mitsubishi's extended warranty is not anti-competitive, enabling Mitsubishi to offer it to consumers and remain protected from legal action by the ACCC's 'exemption'. It gives the manufacturer the right to not offer a longer warranty unless its chosen conditions – in this case servicing – are met. "Warranties are extra promises that a business can choose to make on top of the consumer guarantees," said an ACCC spokesperson. However, both standard warranties and extended warranties – whether customers pay extra for them or they're attached to servicing conditions – are separate from the 'automatic guarantees' that protect buyers under Australian Consumer Law (ACL). This means auto brands can include the condition of servicing with their extended and even standard warranties, without any impact on consumer rights even if the vehicle is serviced by an independent workshop. "Under the Australian Consumer Law, when consumers buy products and services they come with automatic guarantees. These include that products are fit for purpose and are of acceptable quality," said the ACCC. The key point here is that 'consumer guarantees', as the ACCC describes them, are not the same as standard or extended warranties. "Consumer guarantees are automatic and can't be taken away," says the ACCC. If they are, penalties can be enforced – including hefty fines. Mazda Australia was fined $11.5 million in January 2024 after a Federal Court appeal was dismissed, because it was deemed to have failed to "apply the consumer guarantee provisions of the Australian Consumer Law". In 2018, Ford Australia was made to pay $10 million – the maximum fine possible at the time – for 'unconscionable' conduct towards customers who encountered faulty Powershift dual-clutch automatic transmissions in Focus, Fiesta and Mondeo vehicles. The ACCC told CarExpert: "The consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law may continue to apply after a manufacturer warranty period has expired, and regardless of whether an independent operator has serviced or repaired the product." MORE: Which brands offer the nest new car warranties in Australia? Content originally sourced from: More auto brands in Australia are offering extended new-vehicle warranties on the condition that owners have their cars serviced only by official dealership workshops. MG is the latest brand to force customers to service their vehicle within its own dealer network to receive the Chinese brand's full 10-year/200,000km warranty, which was implemented in August 2024 without such a condition. For vehicles purchased from July 1, 2025, if customers don't service their vehicle at an MG dealership, they only receive the brand's standard seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. MG recently also announced a reduced seven-year/200,000km warranty for private buyers of its commercial vehicles including the upcoming MG U9 dual-cab ute – due on sale in Australia later this year – and only a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty for customers who choose to service their vehicle elsewhere. This drops further to five years or 160,000km (once again whichever comes first) if the U9 is being pressed into commercial use. Similarly, Nissan and Mitsubishi also offer 10-year extended warranties for their new vehicles on the condition that buyers service the vehicle at their respective brands' dealerships (limited to 300,000km by Nissan and 200,000km by Mitsubishi). Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Owners who service elsewhere are only offered a five-year warranty, with Mitsubishi's standard warranty also limited to 100,000km but Nissan's stipulating no mileage limit. However, the practice is perfectly legal, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). "Manufacturer warranties can come with conditions, such as conditions on servicing or repairs," an ACCC spokesperson told CarExpert. "Manufacturers may offer such warranties as a selling point to differentiate the products they are selling." Such conditions can only be deemed illegal if they are anti-competitive – something Mitsubishi ensured would not be the case when it introduced its 10-year 'Diamond Advantage' warranty in 2020. The automaker applied for an exemption from the ACCC, which evaluated Mitsubishi's warranty conditions, definition of servicing centres and whether the conditions were anti-competitive. The ACCC deemed Mitsubishi's extended warranty is not anti-competitive, enabling Mitsubishi to offer it to consumers and remain protected from legal action by the ACCC's 'exemption'. It gives the manufacturer the right to not offer a longer warranty unless its chosen conditions – in this case servicing – are met. "Warranties are extra promises that a business can choose to make on top of the consumer guarantees," said an ACCC spokesperson. However, both standard warranties and extended warranties – whether customers pay extra for them or they're attached to servicing conditions – are separate from the 'automatic guarantees' that protect buyers under Australian Consumer Law (ACL). This means auto brands can include the condition of servicing with their extended and even standard warranties, without any impact on consumer rights even if the vehicle is serviced by an independent workshop. "Under the Australian Consumer Law, when consumers buy products and services they come with automatic guarantees. These include that products are fit for purpose and are of acceptable quality," said the ACCC. The key point here is that 'consumer guarantees', as the ACCC describes them, are not the same as standard or extended warranties. "Consumer guarantees are automatic and can't be taken away," says the ACCC. If they are, penalties can be enforced – including hefty fines. Mazda Australia was fined $11.5 million in January 2024 after a Federal Court appeal was dismissed, because it was deemed to have failed to "apply the consumer guarantee provisions of the Australian Consumer Law". In 2018, Ford Australia was made to pay $10 million – the maximum fine possible at the time – for 'unconscionable' conduct towards customers who encountered faulty Powershift dual-clutch automatic transmissions in Focus, Fiesta and Mondeo vehicles. The ACCC told CarExpert: "The consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law may continue to apply after a manufacturer warranty period has expired, and regardless of whether an independent operator has serviced or repaired the product." MORE: Which brands offer the nest new car warranties in Australia? Content originally sourced from:
