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Billionaire's racist talk can't derail ties [China Daily: Africa Weekly](China Daily: Africa Weekly Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Australian billionaire-turned legislator Clive Palmer's TV rant against China has naturally met with strong condemnation from both China and Australia. Palmer's insulting remarks only lay himself bare as a man of low character and a politician with no sense of responsibility. During a TV show on Monday, Palmer, a mining tycoon and Member of Parliament, abused the Chinese government and even called Chinese "mongrels" and "bastards". In the face of pressure after his remarks on the Australia Broadcasting Company program, he "clarified" his position on Twitter on Tuesday morning, alleging that his comments were not intended to refer to Chinese people but to a Chinese company which he says is taking Australian resources and not paying. As a big beneficiary of Australia-China trade - Chinese investments in Australia have turned Palmer into one of the country's richest men, Palmer used to sing the praises of China. In 2011, he accused the Australian government of "racially" discriminating against Chinese investment, urging that Chinese people and the government should be treated with "the dignity they deserve". His resentment toward China this time might stem from an increasingly bitter legal dispute with the Chinese-owned Citic Pacific over financial issues. Palmer has been accused of illegally taking more than 12 million Australian dollars ($11.2 million) from his Chinese mining partner's bank account to use for his personal election campaign. He is also involved in a multi-million dollar legal battle with the same Chinese company over mining royalties. Palmer has now revealed his real face as a selfish businessman who puts his own interests above anything else. His biased and racist remarks should not be tolerated by any civilized society. Australian political and business leaders as well as ordinary Australians lost no time in pouring criticism on Palmer. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Palmer's comments were "over the top, shrill and wrong". The China boom kept Australia going through the worst of the global financial crisis, Abbott said. "It's one of the reasons why we want to maintain a strong relationship with China, one of the reasons why what Clive Palmer said the other night was so destructive," he told ABC radio. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told Fairfax Radio on Tuesday that Palmer's comments are offensive, unnecessary and unacceptable for an MP. Meanwhile, Australian citizens have sent e-mails to the Chinese Embassy in Canberra, denouncing Palmer's insulting remarks regarding China. In one of the letters, one Australian said, "As an Australian citizen, I would just like to let you know that I am outraged at the remarks by Clive Palmer regarding the Chinese people. Please be assured that the majority of Australians do not hold these opinions." These responses from the Australian political and social circles show the foundation of China-Australian interaction is strong enough to fence off the badmouthing by irresponsible people such as Palmer. Compared to the entirety of China-Australia cooperation and the ever deepening bond between our two countries, a bad apple like Palmer will not be able to sabotage Sino-Australia relations today. Over the years, more and more Australians have begun to realize that their country's economic development depends heavily on its trade with China. For five consecutive years, China has remained Australia's biggest trading partner, biggest market of exports and biggest source of imports. Australian statistics indicate Australia-China trade topped 140 billion Australian dollars ($130 billion) in 2013, with Australia enjoying a trade surplus of more than 47 billion Australian dollars. Research in Australia also shows trade with China has brought in large swathes of income and jobs to Australians citizens. Yancoal Australia Ltd, which has only 16 Chinese managers and engineers, employs more than 3,000 locals. The localization rate of China's telecom giant Huawei in Australia now stands at 90 percent. There is every reason for both countries to continue to contribute to this desirable momentum. Australia should guard against racist outbursts like Palmer's in the future as the smooth growth of bilateral ties, which serves the interests of both sides, does need a friendly atmosphere. The author is a senior writer with China Daily. [email protected] (China Daily 08/21/2014 page8) (c) 2014 China Daily Information Company. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |