The chair of parliament’s law enforcement committee says there is no connection between China cancelling a planned visit by three Australian MPs and a recent decision by the Turnbull government to shelve an extradition treaty with Beijing.
The Sydney Liberal MP Craig Kelly, who chairs the committee, said on Thursday China had conveyed the news the trip could not be accommodated the week before the government made the decision to pull the extradition treaty.
Kelly, National MP Llew O’Brien and Labor’s Lisa Singh – all members of the law enforcement committee – were due to visit several cities on the Chinese mainland, and Hong Kong, as part of an inquiry the committee is conducting into the use of methamphetamines.
Planning for the visit was well advanced when word came abruptly from the Chinese government that the trip could not be accommodated at the time it had been scheduled.
The Australian MPs were notified in the week the Chinese premier Li Keqiang visited the parliament in Canberra – which was the week before the extradition treaty was scuttled.
It only became clear the treaty would have to be abandoned, because Labor was not in favour, and because government senators were threatening to vote for a disallowance motion scuttling the agreement in defiance of government policy, the week after premier Li’s visit.
Kelly said given the timing, there was clearly “no relationship” between the two events.
“We are disappointed the trip was cancelled at the last minute, and we will look to go ahead later in the year,” Kelly said Thursday.
He said he was keen to reboot the delegation because the relationship between China and Australia on law enforcement in relation to drug crimes was “very important”.
It is not entirely clear why the trip was cancelled but officials suggest it could relate to a petition signed by 11 countries, including Australia, which urged the Chinese government to examine reports of torture against human rights lawyers.
