Stokes and Packer: We need to bow to China

[ChinaToday]

Two billionaires with large Chinese business interests, Kerry Stokes and James Packer, have slammed Australia’s conduct of its relationship with China and said Australians seemed ungrateful to their largest trading partner.

“Simplistically, as a layman, China has been a better friend to us than we have been to China,” Mr Packer said at a conference on Friday. “Now I think that if that continues for long periods of time, friendships get damaged.”

Mr Stokes, who is a major donor to the Australian War Memorial, said he was physically repulsed by the presence of US troops on Australian soil not under Australian command and believed the upgrade of the military relationship had upset many ordinary Chinese.

The comments from two of the most influential Australian businessmen are a blow to the Labor government’s foreign policy, which has tried to balance a close military relationship with the US and the important economic relationship with China.

Relations have been complicated by the decision this year to base a semi-permanent contingent of US marines in the Northern Territory.

A month ago Opposition Leader Tony Abbott spoke about political reform during a speech in Beijing and said companies controlled by the Chinese state shouldn’t be allowed to control Australian companies. Some Coalition MPs have recently complained about Chinese interests buying Cubbie Station, Australia’s biggest cotton farm. Kevin Rudd criticised human rights standards in a Beijing speech while he was prime minister.

Mr Stokes didn’t mention Mr Abbott or Mr Rudd by name but said politicians had been “disrespectful and wrong” by calling for political change in China. “It is hard to think of anything more disrespectful than going there and asking them to change the decor,” he said to a conference organised byThe Australian.

Mr Stokes and Mr Packer both have an interest in good relations with China. Mr Packer is the executive chairman of Crown, which owns one third of Melco Crown Entertainment, which owns a casino license in Macau. Mr Stokes is executive chairman of Seven Group Holdings, which owns WesTrac, which sells Caterpillar mining equipment and vehicles in north-east China, and a stake in the Agricultural Bank of China.

A top Chinese banking executive reinforced their comments. “Obviously this is not an invasion,” said Helen Wong, chief executive of HSBC China. “China has a choice as an investor and if it isn’t welcomed we can go somewhere else.”

Mr Stokes criticised the Rudd government’s 2009 defence white paper, which recommended a more aggressive military posture, for feeding Chinese concern that Australia was choosing the US over China. He said there was growing negativity towards Australia in China’s online world which was a potent barometer of social attitudes and would feed into the Chinese government’s view of Australia.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr this week warned a more democratic China could be intensely nationalistic. Defence Minister Stephen Smith said the marines base would improve regional security.

Mr Packer cited data that Australia’s exports to China were 66 per cent as big as exports to China from the US, which has about 15 times as many people as Australia.

He said Crown’s investments in China were among the largest of any Australian non-mining company, and yet relatively small, which showed why Australian businesses needed to work harder to break into the market. “Resources will always be the largest opportunity . . . but selling services is going to be a great opportunity,” he said. “There is a perception, whether fair or unfair, within China that Australia is, for want of a better description, a less grateful friend than it should be.”

About 100 million Chinese people wrote blogs, Mr Stokes said. “It’s in the social media we find the uneasiness towards Australia,” he said.

Stokes and Packer: We need to bow to China

 

[ChinaToday]

Stop lecturing China, says Stokes

MEDIA tycoon Kerry Stokes says he is "physically repulsed'' by armed US troops on Australian soil and believes the nation has missed the opportunity to be the "Switzerland'' of the Asia Pacific.

The billionaire, who owns Channel 7, blasted both sides of politics for being "disrespectful'' to China by lecturing our biggest trading partner on human rights and democracy.

He called for Australia to make it easier for Chinese students and tourists to visit Australia while fellow billionaire James Packer said Australia needed to "try harder to let China know how grateful we are for their business''.

Mr Packer, the chairman of Crown which has casino interests in Macau, said there were signs of xenophobia towards China, particularly over issues such as a Chinese-led consortium buying Australia's largest cotton farm Cubbie Station.

Both business leaders were speaking at a conference on "Australia in China's Century'' to mark 40 years of diplomatic relations.

Mr Stokes said the deal to have US marines in northern Australia and the debate about Chinese investment have made relations "vulnerable''.

He employs 3000 people in China through his television and construction interests and said relations with China were veering "off track'' as Australia had given the impression it had joined sides with the US against China.

"Australia should have been the Switzerland of our region,'' he said.

"I must be the only Australian in Australia that is physically repulsed by the thought of armed people on my soil not being under our command.''

He said Chinese leaders were too courteous and respectful to complain but they were confused about the messages being sent by Australia and Chinese people were making their views known on social media.

"It is within these blogs that they talk of the concern that Australia has chosen between China and America,'' he said. "It is within these blogs that the feeling towards our country has changed.''

He it was the wrong attitude to lecture China. ``It is difficult to imagine anything more disrespectful,'' he said.

Mr Stokes did not name any politicians but Kevin Rudd as PM in 2008 lectured China on human rights during a visit to Beijing and Tony Abbott on a visit this year said China should embrace democracy and legal freedoms.

Treasurer Wayne Swan told the conference he agreed with Mr Stokes that Australia should talk ``with China not at it''. Mr Swan, who recently visited China, said the relationship was in good shape but he blasted Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce for putting it at risk with his attacks on Chinese investment.

Mr Packer agreed and said Australia needed to "try harder to let China know how grateful we are for their business''.

"China has been a better friend to us than we have been to China,'' he said. "I think that if that continues for long periods of time, friendships get damaged.''

Mr Stokes said China was anxious for Australia to do business in China not just trade.

He said the once remote and removed from the world Middle Kingdom was reaching out to ``create prosperity for their nation and ours''.

"A future with China is not one of opposition but of engagement. In my view, somehow Australia has gone off track,'' he said.

"We need to move beyond the supplier of volatile-priced resources to being a cooperative partner to China - sharing ideas, processes and culture and creating the environment for other opportunities to grow both within Australia and China.''

Mr Stokes said he had been doing business in China for 20 years selling Caterpillar mining equipment but also joint ventures with TV networks. He revealed there were "a couple of reels of Chinese versions of Home and Away probably sitting on a shelf in Shanghai gathering dust''.

Both business chiefs said Australia needed to look beyond the finite resources boom and become a supplier of education, tourism and services for China.


http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/na...hina-says-stokes/story-fndo48ca-1226474468140

 

[retaxis]

Yeah there are a minority that do not want US soldiers in Australia but again thats a minority (leftist labor and green party) whereas most labor and conservative want US soldiers here. Probably 20% vs 80%. Just remember Australia is a large country with 20million people, America saved Australia from the Japanese and has provided protection via treaty throughout the cold war and post cold war. I can fully understand why we have American soldiers here.

 

[ephone]

We do not need you to bow to us. We just need a friendly relationship. China has no ill intention towards Australia or will never intend to invade Australia.

So the hostility from Australia is just one sided. For any common Chinese, such hostility from Australia is really offensive.

Two billionaires with large Chinese business interests, Kerry Stokes and James Packer, have slammed Australia’s conduct of its relationship with China and said Australians seemed ungrateful to their largest trading partner.

“Simplistically, as a layman, China has been a better friend to us than we have been to China,” Mr Packer said at a conference on Friday. “Now I think that if that continues for long periods of time, friendships get damaged.”

Mr Stokes, who is a major donor to the Australian War Memorial, said he was physically repulsed by the presence of US troops on Australian soil not under Australian command and believed the upgrade of the military relationship had upset many ordinary Chinese.

The comments from two of the most influential Australian businessmen are a blow to the Labor government’s foreign policy, which has tried to balance a close military relationship with the US and the important economic relationship with China.

Relations have been complicated by the decision this year to base a semi-permanent contingent of US marines in the Northern Territory.

A month ago Opposition Leader Tony Abbott spoke about political reform during a speech in Beijing and said companies controlled by the Chinese state shouldn’t be allowed to control Australian companies. Some Coalition MPs have recently complained about Chinese interests buying Cubbie Station, Australia’s biggest cotton farm. Kevin Rudd criticised human rights standards in a Beijing speech while he was prime minister.

Mr Stokes didn’t mention Mr Abbott or Mr Rudd by name but said politicians had been “disrespectful and wrong” by calling for political change in China. “It is hard to think of anything more disrespectful than going there and asking them to change the decor,” he said to a conference organised byThe Australian.

Mr Stokes and Mr Packer both have an interest in good relations with China. Mr Packer is the executive chairman of Crown, which owns one third of Melco Crown Entertainment, which owns a casino license in Macau. Mr Stokes is executive chairman of Seven Group Holdings, which owns WesTrac, which sells Caterpillar mining equipment and vehicles in north-east China, and a stake in the Agricultural Bank of China.

A top Chinese banking executive reinforced their comments. “Obviously this is not an invasion,” said Helen Wong, chief executive of HSBC China. “China has a choice as an investor and if it isn’t welcomed we can go somewhere else.”

Mr Stokes criticised the Rudd government’s 2009 defence white paper, which recommended a more aggressive military posture, for feeding Chinese concern that Australia was choosing the US over China. He said there was growing negativity towards Australia in China’s online world which was a potent barometer of social attitudes and would feed into the Chinese government’s view of Australia.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr this week warned a more democratic China could be intensely nationalistic. Defence Minister Stephen Smith said the marines base would improve regional security.

Mr Packer cited data that Australia’s exports to China were 66 per cent as big as exports to China from the US, which has about 15 times as many people as Australia.

He said Crown’s investments in China were among the largest of any Australian non-mining company, and yet relatively small, which showed why Australian businesses needed to work harder to break into the market. “Resources will always be the largest opportunity . . . but selling services is going to be a great opportunity,” he said. “There is a perception, whether fair or unfair, within China that Australia is, for want of a better description, a less grateful friend than it should be.”

About 100 million Chinese people wrote blogs, Mr Stokes said. “It’s in the social media we find the uneasiness towards Australia,” he said.

Stokes and Packer: We need to bow to China