Nasty fight may hang around

BAR LEY, beef, wine, education, tourism and lobsters to name a few–if you are involved in any of those businesses now suffering boycotts you will know only too well that we have a problem with China.

Unable to talk directly to the CCP, there has been a growing tendency for industry leaders to blame Canberra rather than Beijing for the present trade and political impasse.

In fact, blame is not what is required here. What is needed is some common understanding between China and Australia that we have mutual interests and should find a tactful way to manage our economic relationship.

Easily said and everyone is saying it.

I mention it here without any devout belief.

It really does seem we are getting to the stage where a respectful relationship appears no longer possible.

Part of that problem is that the notion of “respect” has an entirely different meaning in a totalitarian society than it does in our (by comparison) rambunctious and disorganised democracy.

In the former, “respect” means following to the letter the dictates of government for the collective good.

And suffering consequences if you don’t.

In the latter, respect means agreeing to disagree while still somehow maintaining a cordial relationship.

Our Trade Minister Simon Birmingham has tried to say as much, but for months Beijing has not been taking his calls. A less tempe rate soul might have spat the dummy by now.

Last week, after Australia blocked 10 Chinese investment proposals on “security grounds”, our mild-mannered minister said: “We make no apologies for Australia having foreign investment laws that act in Australia’s national interest.”

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman was a little more direct.

“Those who create problems shall be the one (sic) responsible to solve the problems.”

Those problems are known as“China’ s Fourteen Grievances ”. While China seems not to talk to the Australian government (not that we are told about), their diplomats do make declamatory public statements.

In the case of the “14 Grievances”, we learnt of them after they were recently released to the Nine newspapers (the old left-leaning Fairfax press now under new ownership ).

Still you might have had to hunt around to find them in detail because“the grievances” were not fully published by most media.

Perhaps newspaper editors thought they were too turgid, boring and pompous.

Or that there were just too many of them to make compelling reading.

But we are all affected, so I think you should at least peruse the list before either dismissing it or insisting, in the interest of wine and lobsters, barley and beef, that ScoMo should cave in and counter sign Beijing’ s demands for the good of the Australian economy.

Yes, I am restraining myself here. Far be it from me ever to suggest what you should think.

But whichever side you are on in these difficult times, might I just recommend that you take the scissors to the above passage and stick it on the fridge for future reference. This is a nasty fight not about to be settled soon.

See the list of “grievances” as published online last week at dailymail.co.uk, in the panel above.

Now that is quite a Chinese banquet of grievances, but some of them you might not find unreasonable, especially if you are having trouble selling your wine and lobsters.

The Business Council of Australia is unsurprisingly of the opinion that human rights issues should not be drawn into trade considerations.

Others, putting democracy and perceived human rights ahead of economic interest might be inclined to risk the gout and volunteer to eat a whole lot more lobster and wash it down with even more Australian-wine.

Sadly, we are a bit backfooted on the moral high ground right now, given the dismal state of democracy in America and the appalling news about Australian warcrimes in Afghanistan.

Chinese spokesmen have been surprisingly restrained about the latter unpleasantness, given our repeated complaints about the behaviour of China in Tibet.

Did they miss out here on a great opportunity to put in the boot? Something about “glass houses” perhaps?

As a person whose business is words, I feel that the Chinese complaints are often as cold and mechanical as a diatribe from our own Senator Eric Abetz, to whom it has been suggested they are referring in grievance point 11. Though perhaps unfairly. Maybe China needs an Australian PR company unburdened by democratic and patriotic principles to humanise and sanitise the CCP arguments. And to convince us, perhaps with an Elton John soundtrack, that “sorry” doesn’ t have to be“the hardest word”.

With the journalism business a bit crook at present, I might have been tempted to put up my hand for almost any gig.

Though in these dangerous times, one needs to choose a side most carefully. China is big and scary. On the other hand, nor would I want the spooks from ASIO rummaging around in my undies drawer.

Anyway, study the list on the fridge whenever you are getting out the lobster sand the whitewine. I trust that will be often. It’s a free country, so you be the judge.

But consider your verdict most thoroughly because there is a lot riding on it.

Goodluck.