Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, leader of the Australian Labor Party, pledged Australia would ensure Darwin Port returns to national control. He stated this during a visit to Timor Leste on 28/1, emphasizing that it is in the national interest.

The Northern Territory government sold the operating rights for the strategic Darwin Port to China's Landbridge Group for 355 million USD in 2015. The transaction occurred during the tenure of Liberal Party Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and did not require federal government approval.

On the same day, Chinese Ambassador to Canberra Xiao Qian stated Beijing would "take measures to protect business interests" if Canberra forces a resale of the port's ownership.

Ambassador Xiao warned that if Landbridge is compelled to leave the port, significant investments and trade cooperation between Chinese enterprises and that Australian region could be affected.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at a press conference in Melbourne in 2024. Photo: AFP

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun affirmed that the Chinese company secured the Darwin Port lease through market mechanisms. He added that their "legitimate rights and interests must be fully protected."

Landbridge Australia, the entity holding the port's operating rights, has not yet commented. In November, the company reported the port was in a strong financial position.

Albanese first expressed his intention to regain control of Darwin Port during last year's election campaign. At that time, both the Labor Party and Australia's Coalition raised national security concerns regarding the lease to China.

Location of Darwin Port in northern Australia. Graphic: FT

Canberra has not announced a specific timeline for compelling Landbridge to sell back the port's operating rights. The 2015 deal was signed a few years after the United States deployed its first rotational contingent of marines to Darwin. Then-US President Barack Obama opposed the transaction.

The United States and Australia are expanding airbases in northern Australia to facilitate the deployment of US bombers.

China is currently Australia's largest trading partner, accounting for 24% of the total trade in goods and services during fiscal year 2025, valued at 217 billion USD.

By Duc Trung (Reuters, Guardian, AFP)