The Greens oppose the CPRS not because it is too weak, but because it will point Australia in the wrong direction with little prospect of turning it around in the timeframe within which emissions must peak, says Senator Christine Milne.
Action needed on China and Rio Tinto
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The ante has been upped. In both tone and language, yesterday’s missive from China’s National Administration for the Protection of State Secrets raises the stakes considerably in the screw-tightening on mining company Rio Tinto and its imprisoned executive Stern Hu.
The Australian government has been right, so far, in its cautious handling of the Rio-Hu conflagration. But diplomacy isn’t only about being diplomatic. Sometimes pressing situations require more determined action. In its recent Defence White Paper the Rudd government argued that China posed a mid to long term challenge to Australia’s regional strategic interests. The threat posed by China’s military might is one thing, the threat to Australia’s economic interest represented by the Hu case and its increasing pressure on Australia’s transactions with the region’s leading economy are quite another … a threat that is altogether more present, and increasingly clear. Congratulations, while we’re all here, to Crikey’s Guy Rundle, shortlisted for this year’s Age Book of the Year award for his inspired chronical of last year’s US presidential race, Down to the Crossroads. Also shortlisted in the non-fiction section were: The Red Highway by Nicholas Rothwell, The Tall Man by Chloe Hooper, Gough Whitlam: A Moment In History by Jenny Hocking and Darwin’s Armada: How Four Voyagers to Australasia Won the Battle for Evolution and Changed the World by Iain McCalman. The winner will be announced at the opening night of the Melbourne Writers Festival on August 21. |
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One Comment
Bloomberg has just posted an update.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ad8_WDpq0pm8
The author of the Chinese article Jiang Ruqin is now claiming his writing only represents his own opinion. In an interview with Bloomberg reporters, he admits that (1) he is not a part of the investigation team and that (2) the numbers he quoted in his article is taken from Chinese media reports. The entire website where the article was published has been taken down, as from 11.00am this morning.
Regardless, the article is now widely circulated at the Chinese language blogosphere. Even China Daily has written a report based on this article. However, the news has not generated too much reaction from netizens in China. Those who commented are questioning the authenticity of this article. So it looks as if Chinese netizens are smarter than western journalists in spotting problematic web postings.
I must say that I basically agree with Crikey’s call for more action. The longer it drags on, the less likely it would be for Stern Hu and his colleagues to have a fair trial. Public opinion in China is interpreting the silence from Rio Tinto and from the Australian Government as an admission of guilt.