Australia must at some point put aside fear of lost trade and assess the "slow creep of Chinese influence", an outspoken Nationals MP has told parliament.
Queenslander George Christensen has called for an end to the 99-year lease of the Darwin port to Chinese company Landbridge "given China's growing military ambition in the Asia Pacific" he said on Monday night.
Mr Christensen's electorate of Dawson has strong economic links with the country but he says that should never make Australia blind to the loss of human life, freedom and sovereignty by communist China.
"At some point we must put aside the fear of lost trade and assess the slow creep of Chinese influence and ownership of our strategic assets including farmland and agribusinesses given those assets are being and will be geared to serving China's national interest and not our own," he said.
He also said the government should "say no" to the involvement of Chinese company Huawei in Australia's 5G network rollout and call out China's kidnapping of the Tibetan Panchen Lama, the second most senior Buddhist figure, two decades ago.
He said the incursion of China into free territories including Tibet, Taiwan, the South China Sea and Pacific island nations should not be accepted.
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