E&OE
6 May 2008
CNN Interview, Hong Kong
Subjects: Burma, China and Japan
Interviewer: Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith arrived here in Hong Kong on Monday. It is the first stop on a three-nation trip that also includes South Korea and Japan. There is much to discuss with his hosts, including trade and shaping Australia’s role in the region under new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
I am pleased to say that Stephen Smith is here in the studio to tell us more about the agenda. Minister, it is great to have you on the show.
Stephen Smith: Thanks very much. Good morning.
Interviewer: So before we get into all of that, first let me ask you about Myanmar, which is our top story today, and whether Australia is going to be offering any assistance in the wake of the terrible devastation there?
Smith: Certainly, we stand ready, willing and able to give and render humanitarian assistance. We very strongly disagree with the regime in Burma but we have over the years contributed humanitarian assistance directly to the people of Burma. And given the devastation that has occurred, we have already made it clear that we do stand ready to provide that humanitarian assistance. We hope that the regime will allow the independent agencies in to do the usual examinations to work out the most effective way of supplying that aid. But, yes, we certainly stand ready to do our bit to render humanitarian assistance.
Interviewer: Let’s just turn to another issue of pressing concern right now to Asia, and of course that is the situation in Tibet.
Smith: Yes.
Interviewer: I know that you have urged Beijing to speak to the Dalai Lama and indeed, Beijing is going to be holding a second round of talks shortly with the Dalai Lama’s camp. But realistically, though, how much do you think can come out of such discussions given the turbulent history between the two?
Smith: Well, the Australian Government thinks that the only way forward for China and Tibet is through a dialogue in good faith. So we welcome the fact that the dialogue is occurring. We encourage it to continue because we believe that that dialogue with the Dalai Lama and his representatives is the only way forward. We, like most like-minded people, abhor and condemn the violence which occurred. We believe that restraint should have been exercised. We think that human rights should be respected in Tibet, and the best way for that to occur is by openness and transparency and by a constructive dialogue in good faith. And so we welcome what has occurred to date, and we hope it continues, and we hope that eventually it is productive.
Interviewer: Australia does have the benefit, I guess, of close ties with Beijing, but how do you, in good conscience, foster those ties – particularly in areas of trade – while still having to manage human rights, for example, something that is of major concern to so many people around the world?
Smith: Australia has not been shy about putting its view, publicly and privately, about human rights in Tibet and human rights generally. I think that is pretty well understood. There are not too many nations whose leader has gone to Beijing and said it in Mandarin.
Interviewer: True!
Smith: So we have been very robust about that. But we think that so far as China, generally, is concerned - it might in some respects be an old fashioned view – but engagement with the international community is the best way forward. And that is why, for example, we strongly took the view that there should be no partial or whole boycott of the Olympics, and that, for example, the dignity of the torch relay should be respected; while at the same time being very robust about putting our view publicly and privately about China.
We have got an economic relationship with China, which obviously is growing. We had our first strategic dialogue with China in Canberra earlier this year with Foreign Minister Yang. And so our relationship is essentially one of trust and respect, which means if you have a difference, you put that view and put it privately, and when you think it is appropriate, you put it publicly as well, and that is what we are doing.
Interviewer: Your boss, though, Kevin Rudd, has been accused of being too focussed on China, to the detriment of the relationship of other countries in this region, such as South Korea and Japan. You are shortly to be travelling to both of those places; I imagine you will have some fence-mending to do. How are you going to go about it?
Smith: I am not sure that is right. I mean it is actually possible, in the modern world, to have a very good relationship with one country and that not be at the expense of others. So, for example, we have with Japan, a long-standing economic, security and strategic partnership. It is a fundamentally very good relationship. We have got, as I’ve said, an economic relationship with China which is growing and emerging. My reason for going to the Republic of Korea – there is a new administration there, a new president, President Lee; we want to make contact with the new administration and to underline the fundamentally good economic relationship between Australia and Korea, and we hope that that can be enhanced.
So in our view it is not a zero-sum game. It can be win-win all round. We want to have fundamentally good relationships with China and Japan, and India, and the Republic of Korea, and the United States. But we want those nation states to have good relationships with each other as well. So, for example, the Chinese Premier is currently in Japan – we want Japan and China to have a good relationship. So it is not a zero-sum gain here, and that is why, to a very large extent, I think that that commentary or that critique is essentially misplaced.
Interviewer: The US and Australia are famously closely allied on matters of foreign policy, particularly, of course, in Iraq, and with the US Election practically upon us, what do you think that we should expect to see from that alliance on foreign policy matters, come a new administration, whoever that may be under?
Smith: The Australia-US alliance transcends administrations. It is our indispensable relationship in terms of our strategic security and defence arrangements. It has served both nations well for over half a century and it transcends administrations, Republic or Democrat in the United States, Liberal or Labor in Australia.
So, just as the alliance has gone on with the election of a new government in Australia, so the alliance will go on with the new administration in the United States. But just because we have that alliance does not mean that we don’t make our own decisions based on our own national interests. Which is why, clearly, in recent times we have had a disagreement over Iraq, and that is one of the reasons why we have withdrawn, or are in the process of withdrawing our combat troops from Iraq. But we have done that in a sensible way, in consultation and in co-operation not just with the United States but also with the United Kingdom and, of course, the Iraqi Government itself.
Interviewer: Thank you very much indeed for coming in this morning bright and early.
Smith: Thank you.
Interviewer: And we also wish you the best with the rest of the trip.
Smith: Thanks very much. Nice to see you.
[Ends]
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