Matt Eggleston’s interpretation of the Chinese Ambassador’s address at the National Press Club demonstrates an ignorance of Chinese culture and policy. Far from inflammatory, his comments were actually conciliatory. He, and the Chinese government, are aware of our change of government and are hoping to put the stuff-ups of the Morrison government’s handling of foreign affairs behind us. His speech was an offer to move forward instead of looking backwards.
However, whatever you believe is the case, Matt’s call to ban Chinese spokesmen in future is particularly inappropriate.
As former Israeli Defence and Foreign Minister, Moshe Dayan, said, ‘if you want peace, you don’t talk to your friends, you talk to your enemies’.
IMatt, and people like him, should be encouraging communication between our nations not calling for cutting them off.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
