Western Australian Premier Criticised for China Trip

Western Australian Premier Roger Cook is being criticised for visiting China while the state’s healthcare is buckling under pressure.

“Rather than fix the record ambulance ramping and patient wait at hospitals, the Premier has jetted off to China for a few photo opportunities, which will most likely include Pandas,” Tshung Chang, managing director at Golden Eagle mining from Western Australia, told The Epoch Times.

Cook took off on a diplomatic trip to China on Sept. 21 and officially opened a new trade office in Hangzhou City on Sept. 23.

The premier said Western Australia was the only Australian state to have a presence in Zhejiang Province, “one of China’s most economically advanced provinces,” The West Australian reported.

Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang province, has been Western Australia’s sister state since 1987 and is where e-commerce giant Alibaba is based.

Then on Sept. 24, Cook opened the seventh Western Australia-China Strategic Dialogue in Shanghai, hailing Western Australia’s “long-standing friendship and strong economic relationship” with China.

However, Cook’s trip has been criticised for prioritising international engagements over addressing the condition of the state’s healthcare system.

In July, Western Australia recorded 7,074 hours of ambulance ramping, surpassing the previous high of 6,950 hours in August 2022.

Ambulance ramping occurs when ambulances are delayed in transferring patients to emergency departments due to hospital capacity issues.

“Premier Cook is following in the footsteps of former Victorian Premier Dan Andrews and lining up lucrative consulting opportunities when he steps down as premier,” Chang said

Andrews was panned for shaking hands and taking photos with authoritarian leaders at the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s military parade on Sept. 3.

“Health must be the number one priority—not train lines, soccer matches, film studios, racetracks or public holidays. Nothing is more important than people’s lives,” Opposition leader Basil Zempilas said in August.

Western Australia’s Exports to China ‘Concerning’

The large percentage of the state’s exports to communist China has also raised concerns.

“Western Australia’s trade with China accounts for more than half [of its total exports], so it is very substantial,” China observer Bin Lin told The Epoch Times.

In 2024, Western Australia exported $234.1 billion (US$154.31 billion) worth of goods, accounting for 45.4 percent of the value of Australia’s total goods exports. Of this, $117.3 billion (50.4 percent) was directed to China, according to state government statistics.

Lin, who holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of New South Wales, warned about the threat of over-reliance on the CCP and called for the diversification of trade partners.

“The CCP seeks to use these economic and trade relations to make Australia align with its political demands … The CCP’s demands will increasingly grow,” he said.

He pointed to the communist regime’s indoctrinating Chinese language students at taxpayer-funded community language schools in Sydney, as well as its trade coercion after former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an investigation into the origin of COVID-19.

“Many politicians in Western countries prioritise money over everything else. In addition to money, there are also human rights, freedom for the people, and democracy,” Lin said.

“If it’s only about money, we, as Australian citizens, are disappointed, especially immigrants from mainland China and Hong Kong.”

After spending three days in Shanghai, Cook will head to Japan—Western Australia’s largest liquefied natural gas customer, to “promote the state’s capacity and capability in the fields of energy, technology, and innovation.”

There, he will lead an industry delegation of Western Australia business representatives and attend several engagements as part of World Expo 2025 in Osaka.

“World Expo Osaka offers a powerful platform to highlight Western Australia’s to attract investment and strengthen trade and tourism ties with Japan,” he said in a statement.