Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne has defended her decision to intervene and cancel the state of Victoria’s Belt and Road deals with Beijing after the Chinese embassy lashed out, labelling the move “unreasonable and provocative.” ABC AM host Sabra Lane told Payne she’d have to be naive to think Beijing won’t retaliate given the various tariffs and import problems imposed by the Chinese regime on wine, barley, beef, seafood, coal, and timber over the last year. Payne rejected that there should be an expectation of retaliation from Beijing, saying the foreign relations scheme did not target any one country, like China. “I think Australia is operating in our national interest; we are very careful and very considered in that approach,” she said on Thursday. Payne said the scheme was about ensuring consistency across all levels of government across the country when it comes to foreign relations. Around 1,000 arrangements were examined, …