Fed: Howard right on ships, wrong on Bush, says Rudd

AAP General News (Australia)
04-30-2001
Fed: Howard right on ships, wrong on Bush, says Rudd

A former diplomat says Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD is right not to apologise to China
over a stand-off between Chinese and Australian naval ships.

But he says Mr HOWARD got it wrong in supporting President GEORGE W BUSH on Taiwan.

The three Australian warships were intercepted in Chinese territorial waters earlier
this month, while Australia said they had the right under international law of innocent
passage.

Labor MP and a former diplomat in China KEVIN RUDD says such interceptions in the Taiwan
Strait are not unusual.

But he says what is unusual is that this is the first time the Chinese Foreign Minister
has actually called in the Australian Embassy to formally rebuke and reprimand them on
it.

He says that suggests something more broadly is going wrong with the Australia-China
relationship.

But Mr RUDD says the Prime Minister acted foolishly when he defended President GEORGE
BUSH's remarks about the US militarily intervening to directly defend Taiwan.

AAP RTV fh/rsm@

KEYWORD: CHINA AUST RUDD (CANBERRA)

2001 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.