Not just commercial litigation: China is trying to keep Darwin Port

(Geoff Wade and Justin Bassi – ASPI The Strategist) Litigation by the Chinese lessee of Darwin Port is an attempt at stymying the Australian government’s stated aim of returning the facility to Australian control. The case started at the World Bank is no mere attempt at protecting a commercial interest. China’s objective is to use all its levers, whether the fear of economic and diplomatic coercion or delays in an international institution, to make the Australian government feel that its choices are constrained. The lessee, Landbridge Group, has lodged the first ever case against Australia with the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investor Disputes, claiming forced termination would breach the China-Australia free-trade agreement. – Not just commercial litigation: China is trying to keep Darwin Port | The Strategist