Governor Andrews said he hopes to strengthen ties with China, insisting that his government will stick to the controversial Belt and Road agreement. He said on Tuesday that he was preparing to sign another Belt and Road agreement, saying he hoped that Victoria’s relationship with China would become stronger and that he would sign as many agreements as possible to promote the state’s international trade. His statement coincided with the opposition party saying that he had twice missed the deadline to provide the state legislature with whom he met during his visit to China and discussed what.
The third agreement between Victoria and China, on the Belt and Road Roadmap, was originally scheduled to be signed by the end of March, but was shelved due to coronavirus. The Andrews government has been attacked by the federal government, Victorian opposition parties and national security experts saying that this agreement will not provide the benefits of trade, let the Chinese Communist Party win a propaganda victory, and conflict with Australia’s national interests. When asked on Tuesday whether he intends to sign the next phase of the Belt and Road agreement with China, Andrews said the epidemic delayed the process.
“Coronavirus has become a serious problem,” he said, “but we are absolutely committed to ensuring that as many agreements as possible are signed to export more Victorian-produced products to China. This is the world’s largest market.”
