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Australia, China ease the tension

By Peng Kuang (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-08-21 07:30

Officials from Australia's capital yesterday played down recent friction with Beijing, hailing "common interests" shared with China while denying its ambassador to the country has been recalled for emergency talks.

Chinese experts said both sides should be "extremely cautious" in handling rows, and not over-interpret moves by one another at a time when relations continue to sour.

Sino-Australian ties have been strained by the Rio Tinto commercial espionage case, and by Australia's granting of a visa to Rebiya Kadeer, the alleged mastermind of the July riots in Urumqi in which almost 200 people were killed.

Ambassador Geoff Raby arrived home to Canberra on Wednesday for what Australian newspapers said were emergency meetings. However, Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said yesterday the visit was routine.

"He hasn't been rushed back to Canberra. He comes back on a regular basis," Smith told national radio.

Wang Yusheng, a researcher at the China Foundation for International Studies, also brushed off any link between Raby's return to Canberra and recent disputes between the two countries.

He noted that some people who were "unfriendly" toward China in Australia were trying to create enmity and widen any rift between the nations.

"The Sino-Australian relationship must be dealt with cautiously, with consideration given to the broad and long-term perspective," Wang said.

Canberra yesterday seemed to be dousing the flames. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said bilateral ties were challenging but worthwhile because of "common interests".

"We share enormous common interests with our friends in China but we have continuous differences," Rudd said. "They are differences of values and, from time to time, differences of interests."

A calm, measured approach would help if the countries encounter future bumps in the road, he said.

Smith also called for calm, saying Canberra officials are working through any differences with Beijing in a methodical manner. "Let's not get all very excitable about what's occurring. We have a long-term, positive, constructive economic relationship with China," he said.

"That relationship has grown and continues to grow over the years," he said, adding that bonds are so strong that Canberra now holds regular strategic talks with its biggest trade partner.

Han Feng, deputy director of the Institution of Asia-Pacific Studies affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said business relations basically remain unaffected by recent disputes, pointing to Australia's $41.5 billion deal signed this week to sell liquefied natural gas to PetroChina.

But he noted that mishandling of the Kadeer issue could bring lasting damage.

"She is a separatist and the mastermind of the Urumqi riots. Granting her a visa has touched the bottom line of the Chinese government and hurt China's national interest," he said. "Both China and Australia face the threat of terrorism. Both deserve respect from each other for the anti-terror effort."

The opposition Liberal Party has accused Rudd, a Mandarin-speaking former diplomat to Beijing, of ruining Australia's ties with China.

"It is time for the prime minister to act to restore the relationship that he has so seriously damaged with China," deputy opposition leader Julie Bishop told reporters yesterday.

Also yesterday, Senior Rio executives expressed their concern for four employees arrested in China last month on commercial spying and bribery charges, while discussing the company's earnings at a teleconference.

"I am naturally personally concerned about them, but I want to stress that we will respect the Chinese legal process," Chairman Jan du Plessis said.

Reuters and AP contributed to the story