SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
RETURN BANQUET
BEIJING 20 MAY 1986
PREMIER ZHAO, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
TONIGHT IS MY OCCASION TO SAY THANK YOU, AT THE END OF
OUR STAY IN BEIJING IT IS MY GREAT HONOUR TO RETURN
HOSPITALITY TO MY HOST, PREMIER ZHAO ZIYANG, OUR STAY
HERE, THOUGH SHORT, HAS BEEN VERY BUSY AND PRODUCTIVE,
THAT IT HAS BEEN SO IS THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF
PREMIER ZHAO AND HIS COLLEAGUES,
! N THE TWO YEARS SINCE I WAS LAST IN BEIJING, THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHINA AND AUSTRALIA HAS DEEPENED AND
DIVERSIFIED, AS I MENTIONED IN MY SPEECH TO THE THIRD
CHINA-AUSTRALIA SENIOR EXECUTIVE FORUM THIS MORNING THE
DEVELOPMENT OF AN EFFECTIVE BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP IS NOT
SIMPLE OR EASY, I'M GLAD TO FEEL THAT OUR BUSINESS
RELATIONSHIP IS NOW SO FIRMLY UNDERPINNEDBY THE EXCELLENT
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENTS OF AUSTRALIA AND CHINA,
BY THE EXCELLENT RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN OUR LEADERS, AND THE
WARM EXPANDING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OUR PEOPLES,
2.
PREMIER ZHAO AND I HAVE MET AND TALKED TOGETHER THREE
TIMES IN THE LAST THREE YEARS, TWICE HERE IN CHINA.
GENERAL SECRETARY Hu YAOBANG PAID A VERY SUCCESSFUL VISIT
To AUSTRALIA ' LAST YEAR. AND THIS MORNING, I HAD THE GREAT
PLEASURE AND PRIVILEGE OF MEETING CHAIRMAN DENG XIAOPING
FOR THE FIRST TIME AND HEARING AT FIRST HAND HIS CONCEPTION
OF CHINA'S DEVELOPMENT INTO THE NEXT CENTURY.
OUR DIALOGUE HAS REVEALED THAT ON THE GREAT MAJORITY OF
ISSUES OF FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
WE SHARE VERY SIMILAR VIEWS. IWANT TO DEPART, MR PREMIER,
FOR A MOMENT FROM THE TEXT WHICH HAS BEEN DISTRIBUTED TO
REFER TO THE ATTACKS BY SOUTH AFRICAN MILITARY FORCES ON
INDEPENDENTj SOVEREIGN COUNTRIES ON SOUTH AFRICA'S BORDERS.
THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT CONDEMNS IN THE STRONGEST POSSIBLE
TERMS THESE INCURSIONS INTO ZIMBABWE, ZAMBIA AND BOTSWANA.
SOUTH AFRICA'S ACTIONS ARE AN OUTRAGEOUS AFFRONT TO THE
NORMS OF CIVILISED BEHAVIOUR WHICH ARE FUNDAMENTAL TO ANY
DECENT SOCIETY AND THEY ARE TOTALLY.-UNACCEPTABLE TO THE
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT, AS I AM SURE THEY ARE TO CHINA.
MR PREMIER, BEHIND THE FRIENDLY LINKS BETWEEN OUR POLITICAL
LEADERS THERE ARE THE DAY TO DAY BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS
BETWEEN OUR TWO COUNTRIES, SINCE I HAVE BEEN HERE I HAVE
BEEN ABLE TO EXCHANGE VIEWS WITH A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE
INTIMATELY INVOLVED IN FURTHERING TRADING AND OTHER
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN OUR ENTERPRISES.
THERE ARE NOW MANY AUSTRALIANS DOING BUSINESS WITH CHINA
OR IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CHINA. I WAS, FOR EXAMPLE, VERY
GLAD TO WITNESS TODAY THE SIGNING OF THE AGREEMENT WHICH
IS ANOTHER STEP TOWARDS FULFILLING CHINA'S INTENTION TO
MAKE ITS LARGEST INVESTMENT IN AUSTRALIA THROUGH A $ US100
MILLION SHARE OF THE PORTLAND ALUMINIUM SMELTER,
ESTABLISHING FIRM RELATIONSHIPS ON THE BASIS OF MUTUAL
BENEFIT IS AN AIM WE SHARE, I HAVE BEEN STRUCK BY THE
CLARITY WITH WHICH PREMIER ZHAO AND OTHERS IN THE LEADERSHIP
HAVE ARTICULATED THE ARGUMENT THAT RELATIONSHIPS ESTABLISHED
ON THE BASIS OF MUTUAL BENEFIT AND INDEPENDENCE PROMOTE THE
CAUSE OF PEACE.
IAM INTERESTED TO COMPARE AUSTRALIA AND CHINA AS WE BOTH
MOVE TO ESTABLISH FULLER RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE REST OF THE
WORLD. CHINA LONG SAW ITSELF AS NEEDING TO KEEP ITS DOORS
. CLOSED TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD. IHAVE BEEN DEEPLY IMPRESSED
BY HOW FAR THIS TRADITIONAL ATTITUDE HAS BEEN MODIFIED TO
REFLECT CHINA'S NEW POLICY OF OPENNESS TO THE WHOLE WORLD$
AUSTRALIA IS AN ISLAND STATE SURROUNDED BY SEA. FOR THE
EARLIER PART OF OUR HISTORY AUSTRALIANS WERE INCLINED TO
FEAR THE WORLD AROUND US AND TO SEEK TO CLOSE OURSELVES
FROM IT. IN THE LAST 40 YEARS OR SO WE HAVE COME TO
INVOLVE OURSELVES MORE AND MORE IN WORLD AFFAIRS AND HAVE
BECOME A NEW HOME FOR PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD,
TODAY WE CAN CLAIM THAT THROUGH OUR GROWING PARTNERSHIP
IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC REGION, AUSTRALIA AND CHINA BRING
TOGETHER THE STRENGTHS OF CIVILISATIONS DRAWING FROM EAST
AND WEST.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I PROPOSE A TOAST TO THE HEALTH OF
HIS EXCELLENCY PREMIER ZHAO ZIYANG AND TO THE HEALTH OF
ALL DISTINGUISHED CHINESE AND AUSTRALIAN GUESTS HERE
TONIGHT. GAN BEI!