Liberal senator Eric Abetz has welcomed a review into the Port of Darwin’s 99-year lease to a company with strong ties to Beijing and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), saying it was a “serious mistake that must be rectified.” This comes amid tense relations between Canberra and Beijing, which sharply declined after Australia called for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19 and implemented measures to protect its national interests, including reviewing the port lease. Speaking to Seven Network on May 4, Prime Minister Scott Morrison reiterated his stance from last week that the federal government may take action on the Port of Darwin, but only upon the advice of the Department of Defence. “I’m not jumping to the next step,” Morrison said. “This is a matter for our security and defence agencies to advise if there’s been any change in the security status of those port arrangements.” Two days earlier, …