SYDNEY -- The Australian government on Wednesday said it will cancel agreements between the state of Victoria and China regarding cooperation with Beijing's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative in a move likely to stoke tensions between the two nations.
This marks the first time that a decision was made to cancel a deal under a law enacted in December, according to the federal government. That law grants the foreign minister the authority to nullify an agreement struck between a local government in Australia and another country if such a deal goes against the federal government's foreign policy.