Transcript: Simon Crean's Welcome to President Hu at the Joint Sitting of Federal Parliament

Welcome to President Hu Jintao Simon Crean - Leader of the Opposition Speech Transcript - Joint sitting of Parliament House, Canberra - 24 October 2003 Mr President. I've already had the opportunity to welcome you to Australia. I now welcome you to our national Parliament. Your historic presence in this Parliament – so soon after your inauguration as President of the People's Republic of China – testifies to the importance and continuity of the China-Australia relationship. This occasion is, indeed, a celebration of continuity. On his visit to Australia four years ago, your predecessor, President Jiang Zemin, paid tribute to the pioneers of the relationship between our two great peoples. President Jiang said then: There is an old Chinese saying: when you go to the well to draw water, remember who dug the well. So it is with great pride that I note the distinguished presence in this chamber of one of those well-diggers – former Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam. Australians remember: His groundbreaking trip to Beijing as Leader of the Opposition in July 1971. The establishment of full diplomatic relations with the People's Republic in December 1972. And the first visit to China by an Australian Prime Minister thirty years ago this month. In this context, we look forward to the further development of the new Trade Framework Agreement signed today. We were delighted with the $25 billion liquid natural gas deal signed last year, and the prospect of more cooperation on energy security between Australia and China. These achievements are further examples of thirty years of hard work developing relations between our two countries begun by Prime Minister Whitlam and sustained by his successors. Continuing that legacy is a priority for Australia and for me. On this historic occasion, we also remember the indispensable condition on which we established this relationship – our commitment to One China. My father – another of the well-diggers – accompanied Gough Whitlam as his Treasurer on that famous first Prime Ministerial visit to China in 1973. He had the opportunity to meet with Premier Chou En-Lai – the man who brought about the historic détente in China's foreign policy with the West. My father described Premier Chou as "a man of natural dignity and obvious strength of character…..a man of reason and cultivation". Mr President, those are the qualities of leadership that we must emulate as we work together to make our region economically stronger, free from the threat of terrorism, and committed to the principles of international law and human rights. Together we face some critical security issues. Among them is the threat of North Korea's nuclear weapons program. We see a crucial role for China in progressing initiatives to ensure that North Korea turns away from this destructive path. Mr President, on behalf of the parliament and the Australian people let me also congratulate China for its recent success in manned space flight. The world has marvelled at China's recent economic development, but this stunning achievement shows your nation's technological advance as well. It symbolises the sense of purpose driving China and its leadership today, the greatness of your people, and their contribution to world civilisation. As China seeks to fulfil its destiny as a Leader in regional and international cooperation, no country is better placed to assist it and encourage it than Australia. This is something on which there is bi-partisan agreement. That is why my first overseas visit as Opposition Leader was to your country. I'm delighted that our relationship is gaining new strength and I want to turn it to our mutual advantage. Mr President, we are old friends, but there are unlimited opportunities for new partnerships. It is in the spirit of goodwill, the purpose of peace and friendship and the determination to be partners in the development of our region, that I join the Prime Minister in the warmest of welcomes to this Parliament of the people of Australia.

Bush and Hu in Canberra Part 1

Presidents Bush and Hu in Australia

Presidents Hu Jin Tao and George W Bush are in Australia today, with President Bush giving an address to a Joint Sitting of Federal Parliament this day and the Chinese President Hu tomorrow. A major event in Australias diplomatic history, to have the leaders of the two most powerful nations on Earth here to address our democratically elected representatives in Canberra (Our Bush Capital). President Hu spoke to businessmesn in Sydney NSW today and a secure President Bush thanked Australia for its assistance with Afghanistan and Iraq with an intervention by the Greens Seanators Bob Brown and a Senator Kerry Nettle.

"I want to thank the people of Australia for a gracious welcome. Five months ago your Prime Minister was a distinguished visitor of ours in Crawford, Texas at our ranch. You might remember that I called him a 'man of steel' - that is Texan for 'fair dinkum'." See a video of Bush's address to Parliament complete with the interjections and the gentlemanly response from Dubya. A robust democracy like Australia does have to put up with rude comments by some members from time to time and, as President Bush commented "I love free speech.".

Free Speech does require tollerance of opposition of oneself or organisation within wide bounds. I personally am opposed to some foreign policy of the US and such, have been accused of being un-American and anti-American, however such bold rhetoric is just not true. Those that support the Republicans in the US 100% are some of those who do not allow any criticism of their Presidents Foreign Policy, and such characterisations are used to marginalise opposition, sometimes to good effect, even if it is untrue.

President Hu is here on trade matters and I expect his speech to Parliament to cover those topics relevant to his objectives here. I'll have more to say after I've had time to read the newspapers tomorrow morning.

Free Trade: Good News and Bad New

First: The Good News

Today we have been advised by the national newspaper in Australia, The Australian: "PM's China Trade Deal Coup" on the front page. Finally progress in the field of trade with Australia's potential largest trader, we will no more details on Friday when they sign the document that formalises the "agreement to talk on trade". To think, a neo-conservative government in Australia has achieved such a relationship with a now progressive government in China. Makes me think of that old Vulcan saying, "Only Nixon could have gone to China." Referring to a previous generation during the dark period of the Cold War.

The idea of Free and Fare Trade between nations has been floating around for centuries and used by the powerful traders to enslave and disadvantage other nations. Now two former colonies of the former British Empire are negotiating in good faith towards a mutual beneficial trade agreement. Australia has a wealth of natural resources and China a huge market with skills and cheap labour. Each nation is seeking development of the hi-tech industries which include genetic-biology now, it will therefore be interesting how the two years or so of negotiations will pan out. Australia would like it all rapped up before the 2008 Peking Olympics.

"One well-placed source said last night that it put Australia "higher up the pecking order" in terms of negotiating specific deals with China". This all make the criticism from Asia, particularly the comments from Dr Mahathir Mohamad that Australia wasn't Asian enough look less seious a criticism. Also, with the currant trade negotiations going on between Australia and the US, it should give a bolster to our side. I've have maintained for sometime now that the development of a large middle-class in China and India will change the Power Structure of the world despite a dominant US position at this time. Unless the US scuttles these negotiations, the future is looking bright for "The Land Downunder".

Second: The Bad News

This morning on ABC NewsRadio I heard a report on the effect of trade tarrifs on employment, some study indicates that more workers lose their jobs from the automobile industry and othet users of steel when steel prices go up due to tarrifs on steel imports than are saved by the tarrifs in the Steel Industry. Again and again the evidence that trade tarrifs makes for an inefficient market comes forward, time and time again the evidence points to job losses in associated industries and the export of jobs overseas. It is about time the US President took a leadership position against the special interests and for the interests of the workers and cut the tarrifs and retrain those steel workers who ose their jobs in that industry. Done staright after an election it will be forgotten about by the time the 4 year cycle comes around. The same criticism applies to other of the Industrial Nations, including Europe and Japan. Australia has gone through these changes and has come up good, surely they can do it too!!!

More on this later

Comments to me at clifford.dubery@optushome.com.au