The West Australian (Perth): Why our new business partner China is a human rights target

April 1, 2006

Premier Alan Carpenter was under pressure last night to raise human rights abuses when he meets Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Perth this weekend.

Mr Wen has extended his Australian visit to include WA at the invitation of Mr Carpenter, who said yesterday the talks would concentrate on trade and investment opportunities.

But Greens MP Giz Watson said Mr Carpenter could not simply take the money on offer from China for the State's iron ore and gas without raising that country's record on human rights abuses.

"All these things are linked," Ms Watson said. "We can't conveniently ignore all sorts of dubious aspects of Chinese politics as long as we're busy selling them something."

She said China was using the annexed state of Tibet as a dumping ground for its nuclear waste yet Australia was looking to sell uranium to the emerging economic superpower. China had an appalling record on religious freedom, human rights abuses and the persecution of Chinese citizens living in Australia, she said.

"I think it is his (Mr Carpenter's) moral and political responsibility to raise human rights issues," Ms Watson said. "It is important who we trade with and that we are ethical in our dealings. It's not appropriate just to accept their money and not raise issues of their policies and practices."

Mr Wen will arrive in Perth this evening and tour resource facilities at Rio Tinto's Kwinana HIsmelt project and Curtin University before attending a lunch with industry heavyweights and Mr Carpenter at the Hyatt Hotel tomorrow.

But Mr Carpenter ruled out raising China's record on human rights with Mr Wen during their Perth meeting.

"I personally invited Premier Wen to Western Australia to discuss trade and investment opportunities," he said.

"He accepted my invitation on these terms and that will form the basis of discussions at our meeting.

"In relation to human rights issues, the Federal Government established an annual human rights dialogue with China in 1997.

"The annual conference provides Australia with an opportunity to discuss a full range of concerns with the Chinese Government and remains the best forum to raise these concerns."

During his visit to Australia, Mr Wen is expected to sign an agreement with Prime Minister John Howard to buy Australian uranium, a move that has alarmed China's critics.

Andrew Lim, a Perth spokesman for the Falun Gong organisation which has been outlawed in China, said the regime could not be trusted with Australian uranium.

He said a regime that lied to its citizens and the international community and had an appalling record for human rights abuses, could not be trusted with nuclear materials.

"Any sensible person would know what the consequences would be," Mr Lim said. He was one of a group of Falun Gong demonstrating outside State Parliament this week.

Falun Gong members intend holding a peaceful protest in Adelaide Terrace tomorrow but were angry last night about a City of Perth directive that they should gather no closer than 50m from the Hyatt Hotel.

"It should be known that democratic Australian freedoms are being eroded just because a Chinese delegation is coming here and saying, 'We don't want to see Falun Gong'," another member, Jana Shearer, said.

Free speech

China has the world's second-biggest online population with more than 100 million users but controls what they can access, aided and abetted by internet giants Google, Microsoft and Yahoo. All three censor content containing prohibited words such as freedom. China also covered up information after the SARS and bird flu outbreaks.

Minorities

Spiritual, religious and ethnic groups complain of repression, notably Falun Gong, Xinjiang Uighur home-rule claimants, Christians outside approved church groups and ethnic Tibetans. Falun Gong claims to have lost 1000 people to torture and ill-treatment since the organisation was banned in 1999.

Environment

The industrial miracle has been accompanied by air pollution, soil erosion, and a receding watertable, particularly in the north of the country. The one-child policy has created an ageing population with many millions more men than women.

Poverty

About 150 million Chinese fall below international poverty lines with big disparities in earnings between affluent coastal provinces and the cash-strapped interior, despite the nation's expertise in space launch vehicles and satellites. Between 100 million and 150 million surplus rural workers are adrift between villages and cities, subsisting on part-time, low-pay work.

Military

China has a strategic nuclear capability including intercontinental ballistic missiles, and an enviable space program. And it has embarked on an arms build-up on the pretext of modernisation, including recently acquired submarines and surface warships and a massive standing army.

Justice

Statistics on death penalties are secret but a high-ranking official admitted China executes 10,000 people a year, many after unfair trials and for non-violent crimes such as tax fraud and embezzlement. Amnesty International says reports of torture are widespread and include kicking, beating, electric shocks, suspension by the arms, shackling in painful positions, and sleep and food deprivation.