Australians 'should not fear Chinese investment', says Bob Carr
Australians are wrong to fear Chinese investment, but right to stand by their strong military alliance with the US, Australian foreign minister Bob Carr said in Hong Kong yesterday.
Australians are wrong to fear Chinese investment, but right to stand by their strong military alliance with the US, Australian foreign minister Bob Carr said in Hong Kong yesterday.
In an interview with the , Carr said that Canberra's historically important relationship with Washington does not have to come at the expense of its growing economic ties with Beijing.
Australian people have always thought in terms of a treaty relationship with a strong maritime power. But that doesn't mean we can't have a very fine relationship with China
"Australian people have always thought in terms of a treaty relationship with a strong maritime power," Carr said.
"But that doesn't mean we can't have a very fine relationship with China."
Carr did not believe Sino-Australian relations would be damaged by China's economic slowdown, even though new Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd recently warned that "the China resources boom is over".
He said: "Australia is there as the most reliable supplier of China's food security, energy security and resource security." Carr was in Hong Kong as part of a 10-day trip that will include stops in Fujian province and Chengdu , Sichuan province, where he will officially open a new Australian consulate. He also spoke at an Australian Chamber of Commerce lunch yesterday.
Video: Bob Carr, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, talks about Australia-China relations
