Tony Abbott is being hailed for his approach to Asia, somehow trumping mandarin speaking Kevin Rudd
Australia’s Ambassador to the US Kim Beazley has revealed that American officials were marvelling at Mr Abbott’s success in Asia.
“He has them somewhat intrigued,” Mr Beazley told The Daily Telegraph yesterday.
“They are very interested in the Prime Minister’s visits to Asia ... and what he has arranged in the region.”
An article published in Canada’s largest national newspaper The Globe and Mail, also suggested Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper “actively seek Mr Abbott’s views and advice” on Asia.
In the article he highlights differing platforms of Mr Abbott and Mr Rudd during the federal election, which he described as being, “seen in crude terms as a contest between an Anglophile and an Asianist”.
“And yet, on broad Asia policy, Mr Abbott has stayed the course,” Mr Woo wrote.
Mr Abbott has signed free-trade agreements with Korea and Japan, and is close to securing a deal with China. Australia also sent its largest ever trade mission to China. This all happened in 2014.
Mr Rudd with his Mandarin speaking skills, connections and Chinese son-in-law was expected to take relations with China to another level, but was instead dogged by inaction and controversy.
This included Mr Rudd’s alleged comments at the Copenhagen Climate Summit in 2009 when he supposedly said: “Those Chinese f**kers are trying to rat-f**k us”.
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