CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian mining magnate turned lawmaker Clive Palmer has apologized to China over an extraordinary tirade on national television in which he called the Chinese “bastards” and “mongrels” and accused Beijing of trying to take over Australia.

Following the volatile multimillionaire’s Aug. 18 outburst on Australian Broadcasting Corp.’s “Q & A” program, government ministers accused him of threatening Australia’s relationship with its biggest trading partner and distanced themselves from his views. Palmer, meanwhile, largely avoided commenting on the issue.

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