The Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Michael Shoebridge has urged the Australian government to step in before a chain of islands off Australia’s east coast are purchased by Chinese interests.
Retired Australian businessman Ian Gowrie-Smith is planning to sell the Conflict Islands, which are strategically located just 940 kilometres from Cairns.
Chinese buyers currently have the highest bid on the islands, however Mr Gowrie-Smith said he would accept a lower bid if the sale was in Australia’s best interests. Mr Shoebridge said the prospect of China using the islands for “military and security purposes” needed to be removed. “Chinese companies that are called private companies act on behalf of the state, and what they do they make available for the Chinese state to use,” he said.
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