An Australian council has voted to cut ties with its Chinese sister city over concerns that China lied about the severity of the coronavirus outbreak.

Wagga Wagga City Council last night voted to sever its relationship with sister city Kunming, which began in 1988.

The councillor who spearheaded the push, Paul Funnell, said he was motivated to put forward the motion after he discovered two letters from the Kunming Municipal People’s Government, which suggested China was lying about the severity of COVID-19.

The first letter, on January 29, reportedly requested PPE and face masks because “China is under a severe situation of preventing and controlling pneumonia”.

A second letter a week later confirmed China’s victory over the disease.

Cr Funnell hit back at those who have called his push to sever ties racist.

“It’s got nothing to do with race,” he told 3AW Tom Elliott.

“The last time I looked communism is not a race, it’s an ideology.”

But the councillor is not optimistic his motion will be successful.

“There is a rescission motion that has already been lodged … my crystal ball would say it will be overturned.”

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