Transcript E&OE
22 July, 2009
Press conference - Phuket, Thailand
Subjects: ASEAN, East Asia Summit, Stern HU, North Korea.
Minister: This morning Australia has been engaged with very important ASEAN-related meetings. Firstly this morning, Foreign Ministers met as the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers. The East Asia Summit is a very important regional forum and a range of important regional issues were dealt with.
Global financial crisis and the need for close regional engagement on financial issues.
Security matters, including expressions of condolence to Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and other countries who had lost citizens in the terrible atrocities which occurred in the bombings in Jakarta recently.
We also spoke about regional architecture and I was very pleased with the warm and positive indications from members of the East Asia Summit to thoughtfully consider Australia's initiative for an Asia Pacific community into the year 2020 and also Australia's indication of its proposal to hold a track-and-a-half dialogue or conference in Australia, hopefully before the end of the year, but certainly before the end of the first quarter next year.
Australia then conducted its formal discussions with ASEAN, the Australia-ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference, where we survey and examine the relationship. We were very pleased, both Australia and ASEAN, with our relationship and we traversed the range of economic and security issues. We were very pleased with the signing early this year of the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement. This is a very significant economic and strategic outcome and we warmly welcome the economic possibilities and the strategic possibilities that it presents.
Again, we had a positive conversation about contemplation of Australia's Asia Pacific community initiative. We also spoke about Australia's contribution to ASEAN and ASEAN countries through education, our program to increase the number of scholarships available to students from ASEAN countries. We also spoke about our development assistance program, of which our education program is part, building capacity through ASEAN and its countries.
And I announced a number of initiatives so far as development assistance is concerned. We'll be contributing a further $13 million for the Mekong River Commission to help the management of water in the Mekong area. This of course has direct benefits for millions of people living in the Mekong area, in particular ASEAN countries, people from Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam.
I also announced an additional $1 million to assist with transport and infrastructure matters in the Mekong River area. We also indicated that tomorrow, Australia and ASEAN will sign the so-called Phase II Memorandum of Understanding setting out our agreement on development assistance cooperation over the next period and that is a program of almost $60 million.
We had a very good session at the East Asia Summit, a very good session with the ASEAN colleagues for our post-ministerial conference dialogue and we are very pleased with the warmth of the relationship and the productive and substantive achievements that we've seen.
I took the opportunity of thanking all of the colleagues for their expression of sympathy and support to Australia as a result of the three lives lost in the bombings in Jakarta. And we also agreed to continue to enhance our counter-terrorism cooperation and our human trafficking and people smuggling cooperation, particularly through the Bali Process.
I'm happy to respond to your questions.
Journalist: Just wanting an update if we can on the Stern Hu case and whether you've had any opportunity to speak to your Chinese counterpart about this case?
Minister: I hope to speak to Foreign Minister Yang in the next day or so on that matter.
Journalist: There have been some rumours that there is a possibility that the charges against him might be reduced. Can you expand on that at all?
Minister: Well firstly, no charges have been laid against him. There are a couple of points I'd like to make on the Stern Hu case.
Firstly, I've made it clear for some time that this is going to be very much a long haul proposition so far as Australia is concerned. He is detained, he is under investigation and he may well be charged. We expect that that will take some time and as a consequence of that, I've made a couple of points to Chinese Vice Minister He, who I met at the NAM Summit last week in Egypt, which is given that this is a difficult and sensitive case, it really needs to be handled expeditiously. The Chinese authorities have made it clear that it will be conducted in accordance with Chinese law and Chinese procedures and obviously we respect that. It's also the case that this is not a matter where it lurches from ministerial meeting to ministerial meeting. Australian officials and Chinese officials have been in discussion about this matter and continue to be in discussion about this matter from the moment of Mr Hu's detention in Shanghai and it is not a matter where from here on in the focus needs to be, or should be, on conversations between Ministers, whether it's me or Minister Yang or whether it's me and Vice Minister He. So I hope in the next day or so to have the opportunity to say a few words, to speak to Foreign Minister Yang.
In the meantime, officials continue to deal with this matter. I have made a couple of points; initially Australia required more information. It is now quite clear, particularly as a result of my conversation with Vice Foreign Minister He last week, and information exchanged between officials last week, that we now have a much a better basis on which we are proceeding. It is quite clear that the detention and the investigation relate to strictly economic or commercial matters relating to iron ore negotiations. It's also the case that China has a much broader or wider view of what Australia might describe as state security, state secrets or national security matters. But we now clearly understand the nature of the allegations against Mr Hu. We have no basis for determining the soundness of them, which is why I've made the point and Australian officials have made the point, more information is required. The Chinese response to that is an investigation is ongoing and we have said we hope that that investigation will be conducted expeditiously and if charges are laid against Mr Hu, that that is also done expeditiously.
Journalist: Has any evidence been presented in this case to you that would help explain the charges?
Minister: Well, firstly, no charges have been laid. Secondly, I have, and officials have had, from Chinese authorities very clearly information relayed which indicates that the Chinese authorities are investigating matters which relate to iron ore negotiations for the 2009 iron ore price negotiations, potentially involving bribery, potentially involving corruption, potentially involving inappropriate or illegal receipt of commercial information. The Chinese authorities have described that as the stealing of state secrets. As I've said, China has a much broader view of that matter or that description than for example Australia or other nations might. We are clearly looking here, or dealing here, with a criminal investigation related to commercial or economic matters, and while I've urged the Chinese authorities to deal with the matter expeditiously, clearly their investigation is ongoing.
Journalist: This is obviously a very key moment to be able to speak to your Chinese counterpart. Why can't you get a firm idea of whether he will meet you to talk about this issue?
Minister: Let me make a couple of points. Firstly, I meet or speak with Foreign Minister Yang on an ongoing basis, either as part of our formal Australia-China Strategic Dialogue, as I did earlier in Beijing this year and previously the year before in Australia, or in the margins of multilateral meetings or regional meetings like this.
Secondly, let me say again advisedly that the Stern Hu matter is not a matter which is going to be solved, which is going to be addressed, by Ministers meeting each other. It's not going to be solved by one phone call or one meeting, as I've seen people suggest, and in appropriate circumstances, I will raise this matter with Chinese officials or my Chinese counterpart. Now, I hope to have the opportunity of speaking to Foreign Minister Yang in the next day or so. But, more importantly, officials continue to liaise about this matter. And, as I've said on a number of occasions in Australia, I very much suspect that this is a matter in which we are in for the long haul. This is not a matter which will be resolved by one meeting or one phone call.
Journalist: The Chinese seem to be giving the impression that they have absolutely no plans to meet you at all. Would you consider that a snub, that you are unable at all to talk to Foreign Minister Yang?
Minister: As I've said, I hope to have the opportunity of speaking to Foreign Minister Yang the next day or so. And I'm being told by my officials I have to get to a bilateral so unless there is a new matter to raise...
Journalist: Can you comment on the matter of whether there's any, if you're concerned about any nuclear links between North Korea and Myanmar.
Minister: Well, North Korea's nuclear program is of concern and I make this point that in the course of conversation before the East Asia Summit and the post-ministerial dialogue, concerns about the DPRK's nuclear program, the need for full implementation of the UN Security Resolution 1874 were raised by Australia and others. As far as Myanmar is concerned, raised on a number of occasions was the issue of Myanmar's move to democracy, the need for Aung San Suu Kyi's rights to be respected, for her to be released and support for the efforts of the Secretary-General and his Special Envoy on that front. And, also, congratulations for the strength of ASEAN statements. Of course, if there is any linkage between the DPRK and Myanmar on nuclear matters, that would be of considerable concern.
[End]
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