Rudd presses China to strike free trade deal with Australia
Australia's Sinophile prime minister, Kevin Rudd, yesterday urged China, the country's largest trading partner, to conclude a stalled free-trade deal. He used his first news conference since regaining power to praise the current bilateral relationship.
Australia's Sinophile prime minister, Kevin Rudd, yesterday urged China, the country's largest trading partner, to conclude a stalled free-trade deal. He used his first news conference since regaining power to praise the current bilateral relationship.
Rudd, a former diplomat who speaks fluent Putonghua, said China's concerns that its farm industry could be hurt by a free- trade pact with Canberra were unfounded given the size of Australia's agricultural output.
Australia and China began free trade talks in 2005, but the negotiations have stalled over Beijing's concerns over opening Chinese markets to Australian food, while Australia wants China to do more to protect intellectual property. The 19th round of talks was held earlier this month.
"This thing has been moving across the Sahara at the pace of a slightly lame camel," Rudd said, two days after replacing Julia Gillard as prime minister. "I'd say to our friends in Beijing, let us conclude a free- trade agreement."
Rudd said China had no need to worry about the impact of agricultural imports on its vast rural territory, as Australia's total farm production would only meet the extra expected demand from a single Chinese province.
Australia is the world's second-largest wheat exporter and third-largest exporter of beef and raw sugar, with agricultural exports worth A$36 billion (HK$260 billion) a year. Bilateral yearly trade between Australia and China is worth around A$120 billion.
Australia wants to boost farm output to become a food bowl for Asia to meet an expected rise in global food demand.
