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19 April 2005 |
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http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/... |
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AMERICA'S controversial missile defence program risks causing a nuclear arms race in Asia, Kim Beazley said last night. His warning came as Prime Minister John Howard arrived in Beijing with Australia's down payment on a free trade deal with China. The Opposition Leader urged the Howard Government to urgently confront the Bush Administration over potentially catastrophic ramifications of US policies. "Now is the time for Australia to put our view to Washington," Mr Beazley said. "The Prime Minister claims he has unique influence there. Let's use it." But last night Mr Howard was celebrating his talks coup with China. He clinked tall glasses of champagne with the senior Chinese leadership to mark the start of talks for a free trade pact with the Asian giant. The PM had arrived late yesterday in Beijing with a down payment to guarantee the talks. That was a declaration by Australia that China, the largest communist country, was a market economy. It worked and last night a "statement of intent" to begin the talks was signed by Australian ambassador Alan Thomas and Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai. Australia is only the second nation after New Zealand to grant China market economy status. But despite our relatively small size, the Chinese want the same status in the hope it would encourage the US and the European Union to do the same. Mr Howard met President Hu Jintao last night, and today will meet chairman of the National People's Congress Wu Bangguo before flying to Japan. Mr Beazley delivered his warning during a keynote address on national security, presented in Sydney to the Lowy Institute. Mr Beazley also used the speech to: CALL for a new defence White Paper to give Australia's military a more focused strategic direction. LASH out at Mr Howard's talk of military pre-emption in the region. ACCUSE the PM of giving Indonesians the damaging impression Australia was hostile to their nation by boasting of Australia's role in East Timor. Mr Beazley nominated co-operative US-China relations as crucial to Australia's security and that of the Asian region. The Labor leader warned that tensions with China over the US missile defence program were already "gestating" and could prompt the Asian giant to accelerate its nuclear capability. The Howard Government actively supports the program, under which America plans to set up a global protective shield against missile attack. "There is a serious risk that even a modest one will be seen in Beijing as undermining the deterrent balance between the US and China, spurring faster expansion of China's nuclear capability against America," Mr Beazley said. "This could be just one feature of a destabilising deepening of strategic competition between them."
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