Australian PM plays down pivot to US, as Chinese academics push Beijing’s line in Australia

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has denied toeing Donald Trump’s line on Beijing, days after backing the US president’s stance that China should no longer be treated as a developing country under international trade rules.“Australia’s view is based on our national interest on all of these things and that’s what guides our own comments, our own discussions,” Morrison told reporters in New York on Thursday as he wrapped up a six-day visit to the United States.In a veiled reference to…