EMBARGOED AGAINSTI k CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY
DELIVv9RY SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER AT DINNER IN HONOUR OF
PRIME MINISTER NAKASONE OF JAPAN, CANBERRA, 15 JANUARY 1985
Prime Minister Nakasone
Your visit to Australia and the South Pacific is of
, great importance to-us an'-I would like to extend a very
warm welcome to you, your family and to the members of your
party on behalf of all Australians.
Over the past three decades, the relationship between
Australia and Japan has become vital to both of us.
Our economies are inter-dependent. Our governments are
linked by a network of consultative arrangements.
At the same time, friendship, mutual respect and
understanding between Australians and Japanese have also
developed greatly.
You and I, Yasu, are particularly fortunate that our
daughters, Michiko and Susan, are able, as a result of their
personal experiences of each other's country, to help us
understand our respective peoples' aspirations and hopes for
the future. This would have have seemed remarkable to, our
predecessors not so long ago.
We regret that your stay in Australia cannot be longer.
We are pleased however that you will have the opportu~ nity to
visit not only Canberra but also Sydney, Melbourne, and to
see something of Australia outside our capital cities.
Today we have a had broad range of discussions covering
global, regional and bilateral issues.
Mr Prime Minister, nothing is more important to the
Australian and Japanese people and to our governments than
the prevention of nuclear war and the advancement of the
cause of nuclear disarmament. We have discussed these
issues again today and find ourselves in total agreement on
them. There is a need and indeed an imperative for countries
such as Japan and Australia to work together in the cause of
peace and make our views heard by the superpowers.
We must press with all the influence at our disposal
for progress in this critical area. The recent agreement in
Geneva between the superpowers to re-open negotiations on
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the entire range of nuclear and space arms questions is an
encouraging developmient.
We must continue to do what we can to ensure that this
essential dialogue is enduring and productive in lessening
tension and bringing about major reductions in the nuclear
arsenals. Australia is addressing these concerns in all major
disarmament forums.
The creation of a south pacific nuclear free zone,
consistent with Austr * alia's treaty obligations, is a high
priority within our overall policy.
The zone will bear on~ Japanese and Australian interests
in the region. In particular, regional states including
Australia have a continuing strong interest in seeking a
south pacific region free from the use, stationing and
testing of nuclear explosive devices and an ocean
environment not used for the dumping of nuclear waste
products. Both the nuclear free zone proposal and the regional
environmental program work towards this.
Mr Prime-Minister, I have been particularly encouraged
to learn of your Government's desire to respond positively
to the feelings of the countries of the region in these
matters. Our countries also share a critical interest in the
health of the international economy and trading system, and
a parLicular interest in continued strong growth in
production and trade within our own Western Pacific region.
Last year in Tokyo we discussed the benefits that could
be obtained through the successful launching of a new round
of multilateral trade negotiations, and the need for any new
round to address matters of particular importance to the
Western Pacific region.
Today we have reaffirmed our support for an open
international trading system. -Australia shares Japan's
support for a new round of multilateral trade negotiations.
To produce real benefits, such a round must be founded on a
genuine commitment to trade liberalisation by the advanced
countries, including Japan and Australia.
A new round of multilateral trade negotiations based on
a genuine commitment to trade liberalisation would ' address a
number of flaws in the current trading system that have been
particularly damaging to the trading interests of countries
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in our region. These flaws include the treatment of
Lgricu'. ture, saftgv'ard measures and tariff escalation.
We believe that consultation and cooperative effort
between Australia and Japan, together with our Western
Pacific neighbours, can enhance the prospects of a
successful new round of negotiations. The Denpasar and
Sydney meetings, in which our senior trade officials
participated, were important parts of that process of
consultatLion. IAustralians and Japanese have also been active in the
exploration and evaluation of wider forms of Pacific
cooperation, through the series of meetings on the Pacific
61; community concept which began with the Canberra seminar
chaired by Sir John Crawford in 1980. Australia has
recently established a national Pacific Cooperation
Committee to facilitate participation in this discussion of
regional cooperation.
Australia and Japan together have a great contribution
to make to the development of the region, and through it to
the wider matrix of global development. I notice that
recent surveys by the New York Conference Board have placed
Japan and Australia at the forefront of economic growth in
the Western World. This is a good basis upon which to build
our relationship and our mutual contribution to development
in our region.
We recognise that we can play effectively our proper
role in our wider region only if we ourselves conduct cur
trade and industry policies, and our relationship with each
other, in ways that are consistent with the principles of an
open muiltilateral trading system.
With this in mind, we today reiterated our commitment
to the expansion and development of trading and economic
relations between our two countries.
We each recognised the progress that has been made
recently in both countries in facilitating trade expansion.
Tomorrow I will explain-more about how the Australian
liberalisation of financial markets, and the removal of
steel import quotas which preceded my visit to Japan a year
ago, have been followed by further commitments to
liberalisation of Australian trade over the past year. Most
important amongst these has been the adoption of a new motor
vehicle plan, through which the Australian industry will
take major steps to strengthen its international
competitiveness as import quotas are gradually and steadily
removed between now and the early 1990s.
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Tomorrou's discussion will also extend to the progress
t'at has been made~ to strengthen Australian competitiveness
and reliabil. ity as a supplier across the whole range of our
industry. It is universally recognised that unit production
costs have fallen and industrial relations have improved
greatly throughout the Australian economy over the past two
years. But we recognise that there is room for further
improvement a reality underlined by the disruption of rail
transport in the Hunter Valley.
The Australian Government will continue to work
systematically to improve even further Australia's
, competitiveness and reliability as a supplier.
In developing further the close and cooperative
relations which Australia has with Japan, I know, Prime
Minister, that you personally have taken a position of
active leadership and encouragement in Japan, as I have in
Australia. This has assisted the development of productive
economic relations in many areas.
At the same time, you recognise our concern that the
principles of an open multilateral trading system should
govern relations in all areas of our trade.
You know our worries about the beef trade.
You know also our concerns that pressures from third
countries might at some time in the future stand in the way
of full reflection in our trade of Australia's advantages as
a competitive and reliable supplier of coal.
I welcome your reassurance, Prime Minister, that Japan
will not seek to solve its trade problems wth third
countries at the expense of Australia generally, and
particularly in relation to coal.
We in Australia recognise the changes taking place in
Japan's industrial structure.. These complement structural
changes that will need to occur-in Australia as we continue
our efforts to sustain non-inflationary growth. We
recognise the need to upgrade and diversify our exports to
Japan into manufactures and services. We greatly appreciate
the support of the Japanese Government towards our joint
efforts to achieve this goal, particularly through the
successful high level market survey missions.
We attach great importance to the careful follow-up of
the survey mission's work.
We recognise that we cannot sit back and expect success
come the key m~ ust be the steady application of
Australian initiative and enterprise.
In no way is the goal of diversifying our trade an
alternative to the established trade in commodities.
Continued efforts to develop new areas of trade complement
our efforts to achieve maximum mutual benefit from our vital
commodities trade.
Mr Prime Minister, we have today discussed frankly many
subjects with the knowledge and against the backdrop of the
strong, mature and enduring relationship which exists
between our countries.
* We have much in common : an important economic and
trading relationship which is mutually advantageous to us;
si-milar perceptions of the security and strategic interests
of our region and a commitment to development in the western
pacific region; a growing enthusiasm among our peoples to
know more about each other; an an unequivocal commitment to
parliamentary democracy.
These are the links which bond us together.
Yasu, let us work together to realise the full
potential that good relations between Australia and Japan
can bring to our two peoples and to the world in which we
live.