David Jull (Fadden, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is directed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. What are the latest developments in the Australia-China relationship?

Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

First, I thank the honourable member for Fadden for his question. He has always had a great interest in foreign affairs, as I think all members of the House know, and a very sincere interest. The latest development is that the Premier of China, Premier Wen, will be in Australia next week. He is visiting Australia from 1 to 4 April. This is the first visit by a Chinese Premier to Australia—although of course we had a visit by the President—since 1988. It follows the visit of the President in October 2003. Premier Wen will naturally meet with the Prime Minister and with other members of the cabinet, business leaders and also with representatives of the Chinese community in Australia. I think this visit is likely to help enhance our relationship with China. We have very highly complementary economies. China is now Australia’s second largest trading partner. Our exports to China grew last year—as the Minister for Trade and Deputy Prime Minister knows only too well—by 30.6 per cent and our people to people links are very strong.

Interestingly enough, there are now 70,000 Chinese students studying in Australia in one form or another. We share a lot of interest in the region through APEC, through the ASEAN Regional Forum and nowadays through the East Asia Summit. As China’s economy grows, then naturally as a country it will become increasingly important. We see it as significant that China’s growing economic weight is accommodated in the region. We also believe that China has to understand that, if it becomes more powerful and more influential in the region, that can arouse sensitivities and so it has to make a very constructive contribution to the affairs of the region. An illustration of that is the way China has played such a useful role in helping to promote the six-party talks with North Korea.

There is no doubt that a good constructive relationship with China is good for Australia, and I think that sentiment is very much reciprocated. But that is not to detract from the fact that we do have some differences with China and we should be able to talk about those differences. We obviously have very different political systems. This is a robust, liberal parliamentary democracy—China is certainly not that. We are concerned about copyright issues, about copyright protection, and we would like to see China do more in that particular area. The protection of intellectual property is quite a big issue on the trade agenda with China. Finally, we obviously have some human rights concerns with China. This government established in the late 1980s a bilateral human rights dialogue with China. I think we were either the first or the second country ever to do so. Through that, and on other ad hoc occasions, we do raise human rights issues of one kind or another with China.

But overall we very warmly welcome the visit by Premier Wen. It will be an opportunity to consolidate and strengthen our dynamic and mutually beneficial relationship. I think we have illustrated the point over the last few weeks that our relationship with the United States, through Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s visit, and our relationship with the United Kingdom, through Tony Blair’s visit—very traditional relationships for Australia—have never been stronger. But, at the same time, we have Premier Wen from China coming and we are able to build a strong relationship with that very different country in our broadly defined region. I think it is a good thing that we are able to do both—consolidate our relationships with our traditional friends and allies as well as build new linkages and relationships in Asia.