Thread: Why and how did the NT government lease the Port of Darwin to a Chinese firm ?

Originally Posted by Arapiles

That's one of the silliest articles I've ever read - the idea that the Chinese Navy would blockade the Port of Darwin to protect the interests of a Chinese company is ludicrous. And not to mention that in order to blockade the port they'd have to be in Australian territorial waters, which would be an act of war.

Just to be clear, NT leased the port to a Chinese company, in the same way that the Port of Melbourne was leased to a consortium of companies. They make money by charging for the use of the port. They didn't sell the port to the Chinese Communist Party. It doesn't mean that the port is for the exclusive use of the Chinese company and it wasn't leased to the PLA or Chinese Navy. It also isn't part of the Belt and Road. And if they wanted to spy on Australia's navy they wouldn't have to lease a port and they're in the wrong place.

Look, I'm not going to try to talk about the subject any more, purely because you and perhaps some others, either have not read the story and have not interpreted it in the way it was written. Perhaps all you want is an argument. Not happening. The future will reveal all. I'll leave it at that.

Originally Posted by bob10

Look, I'm not going to try to talk about the subject any more, purely because you and perhaps some others, either have not read the story and have not interpreted it in the way it was written. Perhaps all you want is an argument. Not happening. The future will reveal all. I'll leave it at that.

Not arguing, just responding with an opinion. And I've read both the articles that links were posted to. One's a beat up and the other's just silly.

Originally Posted by Arapiles

That's really interesting. But if the US State Department had people at the meetings, how was it that they later claimed to not have known about it? Why didn't they raise it with their counterparts in Canberra? Sounds like someone really stuffed up.

Plus, agree with others that a Chinese company leasing a port is not the same as leasing a port to the PLA. Really don't see a problem with it, and the "article" never really explicitly sets out how it would be an issue.

This worries me.
A seriously dumb idea': ADA

Landbridge Industry Australia is a subsidiary of Shandong Landbridge Group, which has interests in port logistics, petrochemicals, timber and real estate development in China.It has also worked with state-owned companies like China National Petroleum Corporation, which supplies oil to Landbridge and allows it to sell fuel at retail pumps.Its billionaire owner Ye Cheng had been named by the Chinese Government in 2013 as one of the top 10 "individuals caring about the development of national defence" and the company was later found to have extensive links to the Chinese Communist Party and the People's Liberation Army.

Originally Posted by bob10

This worries me.
A seriously dumb idea': ADA

Landbridge Industry Australia is a subsidiary of Shandong Landbridge Group, which has interests in port logistics, petrochemicals, timber and real estate development in China.It has also worked with state-owned companies like China National Petroleum Corporation, which supplies oil to Landbridge and allows it to sell fuel at retail pumps.Its billionaire owner Ye Cheng had been named by the Chinese Government in 2013 as one of the top 10 "individuals caring about the development of national defence" and the company was later found to have extensive links to the Chinese Communist Party and the People's Liberation Army.

Every large Chinese company has links to the CCP - you don't get to be big without that, because it's a single-party state.

Originally Posted by Arapiles

Every large Chinese company has links to the CCP - you don't get to be big without that, because it's a single-party state.

And NOW, you see the light. Or not.

Originally Posted by bob10

And NOW, you see the light. Or not.

In practice, how would the CCP secretly influence the management of the Port of Darwin in a way that was not in Australia's interests?

Didn't a Chinese company build the new ASIO building. Hello - and we are worried about spying from the port of Darwin..

Funny that there wasn't this much interest in 15/16 when it happened. I guess we are talking about something that happened in Darwin. I once got told I couldn't get warrenty on something because I wasn't in a capital city .

Cheers Ean

Originally Posted by Ean Austral

Didn't a Chinese company build the new ASIO building. Hello - and we are worried about spying from the port of Darwin..

Funny that there wasn't this much interest in 15/16 when it happened. I guess we are talking about something that happened in Darwin. I once got told I couldn't get warrenty on something because I wasn't in a capital city .

Cheers Ean

One of my colleagues was told by a client that capital gains tax didn't apply outside Brisbane .......