THOSE who hope that the Australian Prime Minister, Mr Paul Keating, will call China to account over human rights when he arrives there tomorrow should consider accounts of a different kind: Australian investments in China announced by leading companies in the past three months alone are worth an estimated A$1 billion (HK$5.2 billion).
With that kind of money at stake it came as no great surprise that a senior government official providing an unsourced, pre-visit briefing last week told reporters Mr Keating wants to put Australia's relationship with China on a stronger and more businesslike footing.
''He wants to show the Australian people that we can engage with China in a stable way, regardless of any reservations about its political system or its human rights record,'' the official said.
Australia did not support the US withholding Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status from China until its human rights record improved, he said.
Little wonder then that Mr Keating dumped plans to visit Hongkong on his way home from his June 23-27 visit to Beijing and Shanghai.
OFFICIALLY, there wasn't time, and with Australia's projected budget deficit billowing up to A$18 billion, the word was that the Prime Minister wanted more time at home to sort out the mess, although he denied that was the cause. But, conveniently, that also avoided the need to meet the Hongkong Governor, Mr Chris Patten, and any repetition of Australia's earlier support for greater democracy in Hongkong, which incurred China's displeasure.