Landbridge Group’s legal claim over the port could take several years to resolve, analysts said, providing more time for dialogue
Michael Feller, co-founder and chief strategist at consulting firm Geopolitical Strategy in Melbourne, said the case was likely to stall the ultimate outcomes for several years, which may suit Canberra if it meant a decision on a forced sale did not need to be made for a very long time.
Landbridge Group said in a statement on May 1 that it “has regrettably been unable to achieve a satisfactory outcome through dialogue alone” after efforts to reach a constructive resolution with the Australian government and was now taking “necessary steps” to protect its legal rights.
The first-ever ICSID claim against Australia is the latest development in a diplomatic row over the port, located in the country’s north where both the US and Australia are expanding air bases to host US bombers.
James Laurenceson, director and professor at the Australia-China Relations Institute with the University of Technology in Sydney, said that Landbridge’s request for arbitration itself “is not a bad one” for the Australia-China relationship.
Source: News - South China Morning Post
