ANKARA

China on Tuesday defended the 99-year lease of Australia’s Darwin Port by Chinese company Landbridge Group, saying the firm’s rights must be respected and warning against attempts to reclaim the facility.

Responding to reports that a US private equity firm has expressed interest in purchasing the lease from Landbridge, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the deal had been obtained through "market means" and must be honored.

“The Chinese enterprise obtained the lease of Darwin Port through an open and transparent bidding process,” Mao said, according to state media. “Its legitimate rights and interests should be fully protected.”

Her remarks come amid growing pressure from Australian political parties to take back control of the strategically located port in the Northern Territory. Both the ruling Labor Party and the opposition coalition pledged during recent election campaigns to reverse the 2015 lease agreement.

Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian also criticized the push to retake the port, calling it “ethically questionable.”

“It is ethically questionable to lease the port when it was unprofitable and then seek to reclaim it once it becomes profitable,” Xiao said, as quoted by ABC News.

He added that the 2015 agreement should be honored by both the Australian and Northern Territory governments. Xiao recently visited the Darwin Port and met with Landbridge officials.

In 2015, the Northern Territory government leased the port to Landbridge for 99 years in a deal worth 506 million Australian dollars (around $390 million). The agreement has since drawn scrutiny from Canberra and its allies, who have raised concerns over national security and Chinese influence in critical infrastructure.

Despite a government review last year, the Albanese administration ultimately chose not to cancel the lease. However, political and public pressure surrounding the port remains high.