The Chinese embassy in Canberra was fully justified in hitting back at the “unwarranted invective and blatant slander” of Concetta Fierravanti-Wells in her latest criticism of Beijing’s aid program in the Pacific, a China Daily editorial said.

In an article published in The Australian newspaper headed “Bellicose China is popping up everywhere” on Oct 4, Federal Senator Fierravanti-Wells repeated the tired old accusation that China’s economic cooperation with Pacific Island countries is a debt trap, and the senator is trying to give the Australian public a false impression of China.

Viewing it as its own backyard, Canberra seems only to want to bask in its traditional geopolitical influence in the region without making due contributions to the region’s development, the article said.

Considering that China-Australia ties are at a new crossroads, politicians in Australia should make more contributions to bilateral cooperation, the article said, rather than continuing to throw mud at China, which is a key economic partner of their country.