Australian business threat with political innuendos had no effect on China

By China Watcher

The arrest of Stern Hu, a naturalized Australian citizen, has raised all sorts of corporate complications littered with external business risk arising mainly from a different set of political and social environment standards. But the Australian communities have chosen to openly confront the Chinese government in handling of the incident.

A disappointed senator clamored over the lack of direction in resolving the case with the Chinese government has declared his intention to push for the Australian Senate Economics Committee, to inquire into foreign investment by state-owned enterprises and sovereign wealth funds and to recommend an overhaul of foreign-investment regulations. He said that ownership of Australian businesses by state-owned enterprises is an inherently unhealthy thing and once the state-owned bodies have ownership of Australia’s resources it is even more problematic, with a direct reference to China’s international business operating model.

But he must also understand that China can also play the same “business game” and disallowed monopolistic companies like Rio Tinto and similar Aussie companies to operate in China.

The frustration is seen in the many threats and “lecturing” techniques used by the Australian government, media and the business communities to try to pressure China in releasing the detainees.

China is Australia's biggest trade partner, worth $53 billion last year, and iron ore exports injected $14 billion, powered by Rio, Australia's BHP Billiton Ltd and others.

An Australian government lawmaker and foreign policy expert commented that China's justice system had only a "facade of legality" and that Canberra had "learned the hard way" that Australia-China relations must be handled carefully. Is he implying that only the Western forms of justice system are acceptable for “white-based” societies and its people?

I like to acknowledge and agree with the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee of Australia's Parliament, who openly told the media that the Australian Prime Minister should not intervene with China's top leadership because the days when Western countries can demand exemption for its citizens in any Asian country are over, even in China.

The world is evolving and the new societal order is that it not going to be dominated by Western countries any more.