Growing tensions as Chinese officials storm out of Labor conference

Chinese diplomats have left the Labor Party Conference after complaining about the presence of Taiwanese officials.

Three Chinese diplomats observing the conference raised their concerns about two representatives from Taiwan’s de facto embassy in Canberra to ALP National Secretary Paul Erickson on Thursday.

They demanded the representatives be removed from the event.

The ALP has confirmed Erickson said the Taiwanese officials were entitled to attend and would be allowed to remain at the three-day event.

On Friday, the party confirmed the Chinese diplomats had left the conference.

It is unclear whether they had left after their demand was not met or whether they had planned to leave the event early regardless.

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The incident was first reported by The Australian and confirmed by nine.com.au.

Tensions between Australia and China have reignited following Beijing’s recent military actions in the South Pacific and the South China Sea.

China test-fired a nuclear-capable missile in the South Pacific on July 6, just hours after Australia signed a new defence alliance with Fiji.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who said the action was destabilising, raised the incident with her Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the ASEAN meeting this week.

“We are concerned about some of the aggression we are seeing, we are concerned about some of the destabilising conduct we are seeing,” Wong told reporters.

“The countries of the region have a choice to make about how we all respond to that and Australia believes we should respond to that by working for peace and stability.”

Chinese state media Xinhua had initially denied that the test launch was in response to or targeting any country.

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Earlier this week, China lashed out at Australia after it condemned a physical confrontation between the China Coast Guard and the Philippine Navy in the South China Sea on Monday.

Video showed both groups in a tussle from their respective boats, which left a Filipino sailor injured from being hit on the head with a baton.

Wong said the government was concerned about “aggression” and “destabilising conduct”.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanded that Australia “stop exaggerating tensions and inciting confrontation”.