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Pauline Hanson Calls On Australians To Boycott Chinese Products For Christmas

Pauline Hanson Calls On Australians To Boycott Chinese Products For Christmas

In light of recent 'economic attacks' and digs at our military, the One Nation leader thinks we need to send a message.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Pauline Hanson has taken aim at China and wants Australians to boycott products from the country for Christmas.

In a video posted to Facebook, the One Nation leader said: "I am calling on the people of Australia to take the action our government refuses to do and boycott Chinese products."

The relationship between Australia and China has soured this week after a Chinese Foreign Ministry official posted a fake and distressing image of an Australian soldier killing an Afghan child.

That's on top of 'economic attacks' the superpower has launched on Australia in recent weeks that have crippled parts our export industry. Last week, China introduced an import tariff on the Australian wine industry, which can be as high as 200 per cent in some cases.

As a result, the One Nation leader believes we should send a message back to China by not buying any of their products in the lead up to December 25.

Pauline Hanson claims 20 per cent of the products on our shelves are 'exclusively from China' and blames Australia for 'stopping our manufacturing industry'.

She said in a video posted to social media: "We used to produce 40 per cent of our products here in Australia through manufacturing.

"Guess what, it's only 6 per cent now, because we have allowed this through consecutive governments, Liberal and Labor, to bring products into Australia from other countries which has destroyed our own manufacturing industries."

She's suggested people go as big as they want with the boycott, whether that's not getting the latest technology or even checking the information on your gift wrapping to see where it's from.

"That's the only way we can get out of this bloody mess, if not we're going to allow China dictate to us every step of the way what we do because we've become so reliant on them," she added.

The sentiment isn't yet shared by the Australian government, with Trade Minister Simon Birmingham saying people are free to do what they want.

"I think there are a range of implications that China faces from a number of its actions that it's been taking of late," Mr Birmingham said.

"The fact that China has created such a high-risk environment for businesses trading and working with them doesn't just reflect poorly on China in the eyes of Australians, it is a point being noted around the world."

The minister believes China's recent actions will speak for themselves on a global scale and the repercussions will eventually be felt.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has demanded an apology from China after Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, posted a doctored photo of an Australian Defence Force soldier.

Lijian Zhao/Twitter

A caption in the photo says: "Don't be afraid, we're coming to bring you peace."

The government spokesperson is referring to the Australian Defence Force's report in alleged war crimes involving Aussie soldiers in Afghanistan.

An investigation is underway into claims 39 Afghans were killed by ADF soldiers and the 'nature and extent of the misconduct allegedly committed by ADF members on operations in Afghanistan is very confronting'.

One of the allegations being levelled involves Australian soldiers cutting the throats of two young boys and dumping their bodies in a river on suspicions they were sympathisers of the Taliban.

Featured Image Credit: jfish92 (Creative Commons)

Topics: News, Australia, China, Politics