China-Australia ties an example

Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao opened a liquefied natural gas project in Guangdong Province on June 28th. This 29.1-billion-Yuan project is an important Chinese-Australian cooperation which brings Sino-Australian trade and economic ties to a new level.

Both governments say Sino-Australian relations are "at their best ever", and have developed fast and comprehensively.

In terms of politics, Chinese and Australian high-ranking officials maintain a close relationship. In recent years, Chinese leaders including President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have visited Australia. Australian Prime Minister Howard has been to China six times since he took office. Their relations are friendly and harmonious. Neither country is regarded as a threat by the other so they concentrate on the positive side of their bilateral relations. Australia considers China an important friend and believes that China's development benefits not only itself but the whole world.
continues people.com.cn

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[edit on 2-7-2006 by sanctum]

So China and Australia are on friendly terms (for now ) But I'm sure their is deeper meaning to your post So lets just compare US-Sino relations. Currently from the Yankee perspective they're not too bad but not too good(unfortunately). Personally I'd like to see China put some pressure on Pyongyang regarding their nuclear and missile programs.

I was taken aback when it was suggested that a nuclear armed North Korea was something China could live with. I think the Chinese leadership is making a big mistake if they continue to take that course of reasoning. If North Korea arms Japan will arm then South Korea will arm etc. etc. I would think a nuclear arms race between multiple near neighbors would be the last thing China's leadership would want.

Trade is also a major issue between China and the US. There are multiple grievances regarding Chinese subsidies and illegal dumping of products in US markets. But our leadership is as much at fault as China is for not taking this issue immediately before the WTO.

Sino-Australian trade relations are at an all time high, everything else takes a back seat to that. You are aware that the natural gas comes from the the north west shelf. Just near East Timor, the world's newest "independant" country and currently one of the worlds poorest. Dig deep into the history around East Timor and you'll find a bloody tale that rivals the killing fields in Cambodia. You'll may also find yourself asking "hang on, hasn't Australia kind of "stolen" the gas from East Timor.

This agreement prolongs Australia’s refusal to recognize the sovereign rights of the people of Timor-Leste, a position which began when Australia encouraged Indonesia’s invasion in 1975, became blatant when Australia and Indonesia divided Timor-Leste’s petroleum resources in 1989, and continues in Australia’s occupation of now-independent Timor-Leste’s maritime territory. Although the government of Timor-Leste is temporarily acceding to this occupation, ETAN joins with many in Timor-Leste in the belief that the struggle for independence remains incomplete without definitive boundaries accepted by their neighbors. We are also troubled by the permanent nature of some of the provisions, especially those which prevent the use of courts or other impartial mechanisms for resolving disputes.

etan.org...

East Timor's government, dependent on foreign support after 24 years of Indonesian occupation and destruction, needs to be able to use its own resources. At present, East Timor is struggling not to go into debt to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), as it needs to cover a US$126 million financial gap between now and 2007. Yet between 1999 and today, the Australian government has stolen more than US$1 billion in oil and gas revenues that would belong to East Timor under a fair boundary settlement. East Timor is among the poorest of the world's countries, suffering from very low levels of basic services and high unemployment.

www.etan.org...

Australia is one of the world's richest countries with government spending of nearly $10,000 per person per annum. East Timor is one of the world's poorest countries with a government budget of about $100 per person per annum. When Senator Brown visited Dili in April, he saw that they desperately needed the Timor sea royalties over the next 30 years for schools, hospitals, roads and security. With close to 90% unemployment, East Timor faces huge social problems.

www.bobbrown.org.au...

So, yeah everythings great, Australia's selling China stolen gas, China plans to buy enough uranium from Australia to rasie production 100%, with little to no word on waste management and a nightmare (to me) scenario being floated of leasing the uranium, rather rhan selling it. Who gets to keep the radioactivity?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not bagging China or it's relations to Australia (I think we have a lot to offer each other and China has been contributing to Australian society since the goldrush), I just think massive trade deals like this should be gazed at with a critical eye.