Chinese premier Li Qiang’s four-day visit to Australia sparked a face-off between protesters in Canberra on Monday, with pro-China demonstrators colliding with the Australian Tibetan community and the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement, vocally opposing his visit.
“I saw that the police were trying to forcefully take the flag away from him, so I intervened and tried to understand what was happening.
SBS News has contacted ACT Policing for comment.
One person was arrested at the protests outside Parliament House for what ACT Policing said was “a breach of the peace”.
Pro-China supporters have clashed with members of Australia’s Tibetan community and the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement outside Parliament House in Canberra. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
The tense moments contrasted with the official reception for Beijing’s second most powerful leader, with the day starting with a ceremonial welcome, including a cannon salute, on the forecourt of Parliament House in Canberra.
Li declared that Chinese-Australian ties were “back on track after a period of twists and turns” when he arrived on the weekend, for the first visit by a Chinese premier in seven years.
Li’s visit started with a ceremonial welcome. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
Cheng Lei says she was ‘blocked’ at Parliament House
But another moment during the proceedings has also raised eyebrows.
Australian journalist Cheng Lei (looking left) attends a signing ceremony by Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Parliament House in Canberra. Source: AAP / /
Australian journalist Cheng Lei, , claims she was blocked by Chinese officials during a signing ceremony during official proceedings.
A video of the signing ceremony appears to show two Chinese officials blocking her from the view of cameras broadcasting the event and refusing to move when asked.
“Having dealt with Chinese officialdom on these sorts of events, they are very, very control freak-ish, so they want to know everything and they want to stage-manage everything.”
China-Australia relations ‘on right track’
“This relationship is on the right track of steady improvement,” he said.
Both the Chinese Premier Li Qiang and the Prime Minister have expressed how crucial the visit is to bilateral relations. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
“Prime Minister Albanese and I have had a candid, in-depth and fruitful discussion that has reached a lot of common consensus.”
Representatives of both nations then attended a state lunch with business and community leaders where they were served wine, wagyu beef and, most notably, Australian rock lobster – which remains subject to trade restrictions.
With additional reporting from AAP