PRIME MSTRAL1LA&
FOLLOWING IS TEXT OF SPEECH GIVEN BY PRIME MINISTER AT LANQUET
HOSTED BY PREMIER ZHAO ON 8 FEBRUARY.
BEGINS.. SPEECH IN REPLY, PREMIER ZHAO'S BANQUET
WEDNESDAY, 8 FEBRUARY 1984
MR PREMIER, DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR WARM WELCOHE TO PEKING.
MR PREMIER, I AM VERY GLAD TO BE HERE AND TO MEET WITH YOU AGAIN.
IT WAS A GREAT PLEASURE TO ME THAT YOU HERE THE FIRST
HEAD OF GOVERNMENT TO VISIT AUSTRALIA AFTER MY GOVERNMENT TOOK
OFFICE. I RECALL VERY CLEARLY THE VALUE OF OUR DISCUSSION ON THAT
OCCASION. THE ACCOUNT WHICH YOU GAVE ME THEN OF DEVELOPMENTS IN CHINA
UNDER YOUR GOVERNMENT WAS AN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION IN MY DESIRE TO
VISIT CHINA NOW.
I WAS THEN AND AM NOW ESPECIALLY INTERESTED IN THE FUNDAMENTAL
SIGNIFICANCE FOR CHINA AND FOR THE WORLD AT LARGE OF THE COMPREHENSIVE
PROGRAM OF MODERNATION YOUR GOVERNMENT HAS EMBARKED ON.
THE CHANGES IN INSTITUTIONS AND ATTITUDES IMPLIED BY THAT
PROGRAM ARE, I SENSE, MOMENTOUS AND HOLD THE PROSPECT OF CHANGING
THE FACE OF CONTEMPORARY CHINA.
THIS I RECOGNISE IS BEING ACHIEVED ON THE BASIS OF AN
ESSENTIAL CONTINUITY OF CH4INESE GOVERNMENT APPROACH. THE PROGRAM
OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CHANGE INVOLVED APPEARS TO BE CAREFULLY CALCULATED
TO PROVIDE FOR CONTINUED HIGH GROWTH AND FURTHER IMPROVED
LIVING STANDARDS. DRAWING AS IT DOES ON4 AN IMPORTANT ESTABLISHED
TRADITION OF WISE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP AS EXEMPLIFIED EARLIER BY
PREMIER ZHOU ENLAI I WOULD CERTAINLY EXPECT CONTINUED SUCCESS.
LAST YEAR, WHEN I OPENED THE EXHIBITION IN CANBERRA OF THE
EMPEROR QIN'S ENTOMBED W4ARRIORS I NOTED THAT THE NEW LEADERS OF
CHINA WOULD LEAVE BEHIND A VERY DIFFERENT LEGACY FROM THE MEMORIAL
MONUMENTS OF THAT EMPEROR.
I BELIEVE THAT CHINA' S CONTEMPORARY LEADERSHIP WILL BE
REMEMrERED NOT ONLY IN CHINA BUT ALSO ELSEWHERE FOR HAVING ESTABLISHED
A WISE AND PRA-) tIATIC SUCCESSION OF LEADERS TO STRENGTHEN AND
LEAD CHINA FORWARD.
THIS NEW STRENGTH IN CHINA GIVES US GREAT CONFIDENCE IN
APPROACHING DISCUSSIONS WITH YOU AND IN BUILDING RELATIONS WITH4
CHINA. IT WILL BE CLEAR TO US ALL THAT MUCH HAS CHhNGED IN OUR TWO
COUNTRIES AND IN RELATIONS BETWEEN US IN THE PAST TWELVE YEARS.
FOLLOWING ON THE 1971 INITIATIVE OF MY DISTINGUISHED PREDECESSOR,
GJOUGH WHITLAM, WE NOW HAVE IMPORTANT AND SUBSTANTIAL LINKS. THESE
ARE BUILT ON' THE RECOGNITION THAT A SUBSTANTIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH
CHINA, ACKNOWLEDGING CHINA'S IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE REGION AND THE
WORLD, SHOULD BE CENTRAL TO AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN POLICY.
OUR FUNDAMENTAL JUDGEMIENT IS THAT OUR RELATIONS WITH CHINA
ARE OF GREAT IMPORTANCE IN THEIR OWN RIGHT. THEY DO NOT COME ABOUT
BECAUSE OF INTERESTS WE MAY HAVE ELSEWHERE. AUSTRALIA AN4D CHINA
ARE PERMANENTLY TOGETHER IN THIS REGION. WE ARE ALREADY OLD
FRIENDS '' ILAO PENGYOU AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD RELATrIONS
ON TH4AT BASIS. THAT CHINA NOW ALSO H4AS IMPORTANT LINKS WITH OUR
TRADITIONAL ALLIES AND FRIENDS FURTHER FACILITATES AUSTIALIA-CHINA
RELATIONS. I ATTACH PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE TO THE CONSTRUCTIVE DISCUSSION
WE HAVE HAD TODAY ABOUT REGIONAL PRESSURE POINTS SUCH AS KOREA AND
ABOUT THE TASKS IN ARMS CONTROL AND DISARMAMENT.
THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE WORLD SPEND WELL OVER DLRS 1 MILLION
EVERY MINUTE ON ARMS. IN.. A WORLD INCREASINGLY BESET BY PROBLEMS OF
POVERTY AND INEQUALITY, SUCH LEVELS OF DEFENCE EXPENDITURE REPRESENT
A TRAGIC DISTORTION OF H4UMAN VALUES AND PRIORITIES.
CHINA, AS A NUCLEAR POWER, CAN I BELIEVE DO A GREAT DEAL TO
ASSIST IN ENSURING NOT ONLY THAT ARMS CONTROL AND DISARMAMENT
REMAIN TOWARDS THE TOP-OF THE INTERNATIONAL AGENDA~, BUT ALSO THAT
ACTUAL PROGRESS IS MADE.
ALTHOUGH AUSTRALIA'S AND CHINA'S STRATEGIC CIRCUMSTANCES ARE
DIFFERENT, WE HAVE MADE A GOOD BEGINNING IN OUR TALKS TO WHAT I
HOPE WILL BE A SUSTAINED DIALOGUE BETWEEN OUR COUNTRIES ON ARMS
CONTROL AND DISARMAMENT ISSUES. BESIDES ENHANCING UNDERSTANDING
AND COOPERATION BETWEEN US, THIS SHOULD HELP TO SECURE PROGRESS
IN AN AREA WH4ICH IS SO CRUCIAL TO MANKIND'S FUTURE SURVIVIAL AND
PROSPERITY. I HAVE BEEN PLEASED ALSO TO TALK WITH YOU ABOUT TH4E ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT OF OUR REGION.
THERE IS NOW WIDESPREAD RECOGNITION THAT THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION
IS DEMONSTRATING TH4E MOST RAPID AND DYNAMIC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMIENT IN
THE WORLD.
THIS FACT PRESENTS PARTICULAR OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL OF US WITHIN
TH4E REGION AND PROMISES TO BE OF VITAL SIGNIFICANCE FOR GLOBAL
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY IN THE DECADES AHEAD.
BUT WE SHALL ONLY REALISE THE FULL POTENTIAL. OF THIS REGILIN IF
WE CAN JO-INTLY OR BY PARALLEL PATHS WORK TO SOLVE MAJOR PlPOBLEMS.
LAST YEAR, MR PREMIER, YOU EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT THE TRADE
IMBALANCE BETWEEN OUR TWO COUNTRIES.
WE HAVE WORKED HARD ON OUR SIDE TO ADDRESS THE SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
IN OUR * rRADE AND LOOK FORW4ARD TO MAJOR GROWTH IN THAT RELATIONSHIP
IN THE YEARS AHEAD.
WE SH4ALL BE GOING IN OUR OWN TALKS TOMORROW MR PREMIER, TO THE
SPECIFICS OF WHAT WILL BE INVOLVED IN SECURING THIS RESULT. I
SHOULD SIMPLY AT THIS STAGE LIKE TO OBSERVE THAT UNDERPINNING ALL
OUR EFFORTS MUST BE A COMMITMENT TO MODERNISATION AS A MEANS OF
SECURING NOT ONLY HIGH STANDARDS OF LIVING BUT ALSO A MORE EQUITABLE
SPREAD OF BENEFITS THROUGH THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.
MODERNISATION IS A PROCESS OF DYNAMIC CHANGE.
WITH IT ONE CAN ANTICIPATE NOT ONLY ENHANCED PROSPERITY BUT
ALSO, OVER TIME, A SUBSTANTIAL UPGRADING OF COMMUNITY SERVICES
SUCH AS HEALTH AND EDUCATION.
. WITH SUCH CHANGE THE GROUND IS ALSO LAID FOR A MUTUALLY
ADVANTAGEOUS RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COUNTRIES.
ALREADY MUCH PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE BET1WEEN US.
WE MUST NOT, HOWEVER, RELAX IN OUR EFFORTS.
BY ACCEPTING CHANGE WE, THE COUNTRIES OF THE ASIA-PACIFIC
REGION, WILL ENHANCE THE WELL-BEING OF OUR PEOPLE AND
CONTRIBUTE MUCH4 TO REGIONAL AND GLOBAL PEACE AND PROSPERITY.
ON THIS BASIS, MR PREMIER, I EXPECT THE FRIENDSHIP AND
STRENGTH OF RELATION4S BETW4EEN AUSTRALIA AND CHINA TO GROW.
TOAST DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,
WOULD YOU NOW JOIN ME IN OFrERING A TOAST TO PRESIDENT
LI ZIANNIAN ( LEE SHEN-NYEN) TO PREMIER ZHAO ZIYANG AND TO
THE FRIENDSHIP AND PROSPERITY OF OUR TWO NATIONS AND PEOPLES.