Voice of America
23 Sep 2022, 18:36 GMT+10
Sydney - Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called on China to use its influence to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Wong spoke to reporters Thursday after a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Wong said she held a 'constructive' meeting with her Chinese counterpart.
Australia wants China to use its position as a permanent U.N. Security Council member to urge Moscow to stop the war in Ukraine.
Australia has promised to continue to provide military support to Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin escalated the conflict this week, including threatening the use of all weapons and ordering a mass mobilization of reservists, the first time since World War II.
Wong condemned Russia's aggression in her remarks Thursday.
'These threats are unthinkable and they are irresponsible,' she said. 'His claims of defending Russia's territorial integrity are untrue. No sham referendum will make them true. Russia alone is responsible for this illegal and immoral war, and peace must first lie with Russia withdrawing from Ukrainian territory.'
Australia is the largest non-NATO contributor of military aid to Ukraine. It has sent missiles and armored personnel carriers as well as humanitarian supplies and imposed sanctions on hundreds of Russian politicians, military commanders and businesspeople.
Canberra has so far spent an estimated $240 million on armaments and military support to Ukraine. Since February, Australia has granted visas to almost 9,000 Ukrainian refugees.
Opposition lawmakers want Australia to follow the United States and increase its assistance to Ukraine.
Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Birmingham said the world must continue to apply maximum pressure to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Get a daily dose of China National News news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to China National News.
More InformationWASHINGTON, D.C.: General Motors is recalling more than 720,000 vehicles globally over a defect linked to its 6.2L V8 engines, the...
ATLANTA, Georgia: United Parcel Service is cutting 20,000 jobs and closing dozens of facilities, marking one of its biggest shakeups...
TOKYO, Japan: Japan's biggest power company, JERA, says it might buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Alaska. This comes as Japanese...
NEW YORK, New York - A better-than-expected jobs report boosted U.S. stock markets Friday. Total nonfarm payroll employment increased...
TOKYO, Japan: Toyota Motor is weighing a potential investment in a primary buyout of one of its key suppliers, Toyota Industries, the...
LONDON, U.K.: Britons' outlook on the economy has hit an all-time low, with public confidence plunging to its weakest point since records...
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - The Australian Labor Party has been swept to victory for a second term after defeating the Coalition in an...
TOKYO, Japan: Japan's biggest power company, JERA, says it might buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Alaska. This comes as Japanese...
TOKYO, Japan: Toyota Motor is weighing a potential investment in a primary buyout of one of its key suppliers, Toyota Industries, the...
SYDNEY, Australia: Australia's ruling Labor Party says it will raise the fee for international student visas to A$2,000 (US$1,279)...
BEIJING, China: China's Huawei Technologies is stepping up efforts to challenge U.S. dominance in artificial intelligence hardware,...
SINGAPORE: Singapore has ordered Facebook's parent company, Meta, to block Singaporeans from seeing posts made by three foreigners...