Australia should not target Chinese firms, ministry says

Beijing on Thursday urged Canberra to abandon ideological prejudice and provide a fair competitive environment for Chinese companies to operate in Australia.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang expressed serious concern at a daily news conference after Australia's government banned Chinese telecom firm Huawei from supplying equipment for the country's planned 5G mobile network.

Australia should not "use various excuses to artificially set barriers and adopt discriminatory practices.", Lu said.

The cooperation between Chinese and Australian enterprises is mutually beneficial, he said, adding that Australia should facilitate such cooperation because it not only conforms to the interests of Chinese companies but also the interests of Australian companies and consumers.