Well done Tony Abbott, a grown up govt and a genuine statesman and leader.
Media boss Kerry Stokes slams Kevin Rudd for tanking Australia’s relationship with China when he was prime minister
The Seven Network chairman told The Daily Telegraph in Beijing at the end of a seven-day trip with the PM and 600 Australian business and industry leaders that the trade mission had helped restore the friendship with Australia’s largest trading partner.
“We had a prime minister who spoke Mandarin and our relationship tanked in six months,” Mr Stokes said.
“Now we have a PM who speaks people and we have a new relationship in six months.”
Mr Stokes led a chorus of praise from the country’s leading CEOs for Mr Abbott and his mission to north Asia, in which he forged trade deals with Japan and Korea, a likely deal with China before the year’s end and fostered closer security and defence ties with all three.
Mr Stokes echoed the opinion of Crown Resorts chairman James Packer, who last week accused the former Labor government of setting back Australia’s relationships with its largest Asian neighbours. Mr Packer told The Daily Telegraph yesterday: “From the perspective of trade and business investment, the trip was extremely beneficial for Australia.
The Prime Minister and trade minister Andrew Robb have done an outstanding job.
“They have set a benchmark for future governments.”
CSL CEO Peter Perreault said Mr Abbott presented as a “true statesmen” on his first trip to the region since becoming PM. “He was genuine and engaging with the foreign leaders and has established a great new start for Australia in north Asia.”
At the beginning of the year many business leaders and foreign policy experts were expressing concern about Mr Abbott’s pro-US foreign policy approach and attitude toward Asia, but many in the delegation have noted a marked shift in the PM’s approach in the past two months.
Mining boss Tad Watroba, the executive director of Hancock Prospecting, said: “Tony handled himself very well and came across as a genuine bloke. There was a visible difference from the previous leadership.”
Parliamentary secretary to the PM, Josh Frydenberg, hosted a final lunch of the trade mission for 30 CEOs at the St Regis hotel in Beijing on Friday, reminding them that of the last 20 centuries of history, China had the largest economy in 18 of them.
Mr Rudd, who is overseas, was unavailable for comment
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/media-boss-kerry-stokes-slams-kevin-rudd-for-tanking-australias...
