A little red warning light. The Fairfax correspondent in China, John Garnaut, brought forward this morning the story of the red envelopes with cash in them that should be serving as a red warning light to the Opposition politicians who, without having any knowledge of the charges or the evidence to support them, have found Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu an innocent man.
Liberal Leader Malcolm Turnbull and his Deputy Julie Bishop have seen in the arrest in Shanghai of this major Australian iron ore salesman as an opportunity to embarrass our Chinese speaking Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. If the Australian people see Mr Hu as a man wrongfully imprisoned by an authoritarian communist government then Mr Rudd will surely be seen as the impotent expert, not the leader whose understanding of things Chinese is strengthening the foundation for Australian prosperity to keep growing with their impressive economic growth.
Which is what makes the Garnaut remark that “when Rio Tinto holds press events in China, its public relations firm sometimes hands out red envelopes of cash to Chinese journalists who are kind enough to turn up” such a significant one. Not to put too fine a point on it, the accusation is that Rio Tinto is in the business of bribing journalists. If we have to guess what the charges against Mr Hu will turn out to be in the end it will in all likelihood turn out to be the very same thing. That is what the reports in the Chinese press — clearly not influenced on this occasion by what is in the little red envelopes — point to.
With the experience of the Australian Wheat Board in Iraq so recently before us, we would be extremely naive to think that improper conduct by an Australian company is somehow impossible. Messrs Turnbull and Bishop might care to ponder that before going any further with their blanket verdict that Rio and its employees are naturally not guilty.
The return of the residential investor. Actions and not just words are beginning to show that confidence really is returning. Figures out from the Australian Bureau of Statistics this morning show the value of commitments for the purchase of dwellings by individuals for rent or resale (trend) increased 2.0% in May 2009, following a revised increase of 1.8% in April 2009. The seasonally adjusted series rose 0.8% in May 2009.
Housing finance for owner occupation continued to be strong, increasing 3.0% in trend terms in May compared to April with the seasonally adjusted series rose 2.3%.
So Malcolm the Mad and Julie the Jackass know all about Chinese law?, or so they would have us believe if we take their screaming and baying for blood over the weekend over the detention of Mr Hu. The Pm and Foreign Minister know nothing, are ignorant, heardhearted, mean, uncaring, incomptent etc etc. I wonder just how much damage to Mr Hu’s well being and future freedom this pair of political jackals are causing by their abuse of the Communist regime and their methods.
While the Govt here take a level headed, low key, methodical approach to whatever has happened and will happen to Mr Hu, we have the Opposition doing as much as they can to make this country look pathetic in International diplomacy, more so in Asia. These two loud mouths and others of their type, Nationals wanabe Joyce comes to mind, have, as do none of us except perhaps a few close to Mr Hu, have any idea what has been going on in Shanghai. The outbursts will do nothing to impress the Chinese leaders and influence them one way or the other. Turnbull should know that. Perhaps he does, but the chance to try and gain political momentum out of it, is too tempting a bait. Just as a certain email appeared to be chocolate coated.
I wonder if the Opposition is aware of an agreement signed by the rodent Howard and Chinese, which only allows access to detainees in China on a monthly basis, ie: once a month.
Bishop now says Rudd and Smith are pussyfooting around!!!! Ye Gods I would have thought she would be the expert in that game. She did it with Howard, danced around the defeated Nelson to baske in the shadow of her current idol, Malcolm the Mad. This is the person who would is the Foreign Affairs Shadow Minister. She looked out of her depth completely in Finance and shows no talent at all currently.