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Abbott talks tough during China visit
Date July 25, 2012 8 reading now
27Vote Read later John Garnaut
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Tony Abbott talks tough in China
Speaking in Beijing, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott calls for greater democracy in China.

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THE Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, has revealed a bold new style of foreign policy that challenges the Chinese Communist Party to loosen its iron grip on political power.

He also signalled a more interventionist approach to Chinese investment in Australia and Chinese territorial muscle flexing in regional waters.

Mr Abbott's promise of a more assertive policy on China enables him to define himself as a values-driven leader, far from the fray of the domestic carbon debate. But it risks major turbulence in what has become Australia's dominant economic relationship.


Avoiding gratuitous public advice … Tony Abbott at a meeting with Jia Qinglin, a senior member of the Chinese government. Photo: Sanghee Liu

China accounts for a quarter of Australian exports and has single-handedly underwritten the greatest economic boom in more than a century.

Advertisement At a business breakfast meeting in Beijing yesterday, Mr Abbott repeatedly reminded Chinese leaders that change in the country's political system had failed to keep pace with its "remarkable" economic transformation.

He said Chinese people still could not choose their government, even though they were increasingly prosperous, educated, informed and free to live and work where they liked.

"The question I suppose is how and in what circumstances China can and should liberalise its polity," said Mr Abbott, opening his speech to the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce.

''As prime minister I would hope for political reform to match China's economic liberalisation,'' he said.

Mr Abbott's visit began on Sunday morning with a private and emotional visit to a government-sanctioned Catholic church.

On Monday he was feted like a prime minister-in-waiting and given an audience with several high-powered leaders.

His hosts repeatedly raised questions about the treatment of Chinese investment in Australia and are unlikely to be pleased by Mr Abbott's unveiling yesterday of a tough new test, should he win government. "It would rarely be in Australia's interests to allow a foreign government or its agencies to control an Australian business," he said, noting that Chinese investment was dominated by state-owned enterprises.

tHE FOLLOWING IS AN EXTRACT OF AN ARTICLE IN TODAY'S AGE - TONY ABBOUT WHILST HE WAS IN CHINA RECENTLY

"That's because we don't support the nationalisation of businesses by the Australian government, let alone a foreign one."

It is understood an Abbott-led investment regime would welcome Chinese government investment in ''greenfield" start-up businesses, such as new mining or agricultural projects, but would reject most Chinese government attempts to take over established enterprises.

A Chinese move to control a viable Australian mining company would probably fail.


Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/abbott-talks-tough-during-china-visit-20120724-22nkw.html#ixzz21b2xYVC0