PM Transcripts

FOR PRESS PM. NO. 7L97l
CHINESE REPRESENTATION IN THE UNITED NATIONS
Statemen t by the Prime Minister, Mr William McMahon
I welcome the statement by Mr. Roers, the US Secretary
of State, that the United States will support action1 or seating the PLRC
in the United Nations and will oppose any action to expel the ROC or
otherwise deprive it of representation. Likewise, I vwelcome the United
States acceptance that the question of China's seat in the Security Council
is one to be resolved by the members of the United Nations.
The announcement by Mr Rogers clearly reflects the
close accord of the United States and Australian Governments on the China
representation issue. Our position, as formulated over several months,
has been that we would not oppose the representation of the PRC in the United
Nations. Indeed, I have said that it was both inevitable and right that
China should be a member of the UN General Assembly and should hold the
permanent seat in the Security Council. At the same time, I have continued
to emphasise that the Republic of China Taiwan should be given the
chance to maintain its membership of the United Nations if it so wished.
Only the United Nations can decide the question of Chinese representation.
As one member of the United Nations, we will play our part in efforts to
reach a decision that will be honourable and just.
The Australian Government has been in consultation with
the United States and other friendly governments for several months on
the question of Chinese representation in the United Nations. We were
consulted in advance on the substance of the Secretary of State's
announcement. Of course, in a developing situation, many points of
detail on the implementation of policy still need to be determined. We
will remain in close consultation with the United States and other
friendly governments in coming months about these details.
I hope that the forthcoming session of the General Assembly,
and the scheduled visit of President Nixon to Peking, will help to usher in
a new era of better relations between the People's Republic of China and
the countries of the Asia/ Pacific region.
CANBERRRA, 3 August 1971