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The Organising Committee of Year 2002 Australia-China Festival 6 December 2002 Rule of Law and Culture Michael C. H. Jones,
President, ACCCI |
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Former Australian Prime Minister
Bob Hawke, It gives me great pleasure to be
with you this afternoon – especially in my hometown of Sydney where the
Chamber was founded on the 16th of September 1976. As you probably know ACCCI
operates throughout Australia and New Zealand and throughout all the
provinces of China including Chinese Taipei. We are strictly a
non-government, non-profit and voluntary association of business
organisations dedicated to the strengthening and deepening of economic
relations between Australia and China. Indeed this year – 2002 – I have
visited China officially on four (4) occasions and specifically to about 20
provinces where I have addressed meetings in over forty (40) cities and
towns. The themes of these four visits
were as follows: ·
In January/February on Australian Education and
Infrastructure ·
In April on Investment in Australia and New Zealand
and Rural Industries ·
In June on Vocational Training, Technology and
Urban Services ·
In October/November on Law, Tourism and Culture All of these visits were
programmed to facilitate the ACCCI Key Cities Strategy that is directed to
about 200 Chinese cities and 100 Australian and New Zealand cities, which can
be found, or soon will be placed, on the ACCCI Website at www.accci.com.au Now I think you will all agree
with me when I say that we citizens of the world live during the first years
of the 21st century in very unsettled times. For example the uncertainties of
aircraft travel, hotel choice and attendance at large gatherings of people,
are playing on all our minds. Terrorism is terrorism whether or not it is in
a just cause or an unjust cause. This global instability brought
on by planned random acts of terrorism as well as threats of pre-emptive
military strikes in defence, is placing almost unbearable strains on
previously accepted international norms of behaviour by recognised
governmental agencies. RULE OF LAW AND THE CULTURAL
VALUES THAT UNDERPIN THIS UNVERSAL ASPIRATION OF ALL CIVILISED SOCIETIES IS
UNDER SERIOUS THREAT NOT ONLY FROM THE TERRORISTS BUT ALSO FROM SOME OF THOSE
WHO WOULD HOLD THEMSELVES OUT AS FIGHTING TERRORISM. Even more then ever we must all
be aware that “the last refuge of the
scoundrel is patriotism”. What do I mean by ‘rule of law’
and ‘culture’ and how do these concepts relate to trade and economic
relations and especially between Australia and China? Australia is a trading nation –
our history since 1788 has been about the sea and air communications and
transportation of people and goods – or migration/tourism and
imports/exports. World wars, Depressions, ideological struggles and all the
other regional and global dislocations of the past 200 years have threaten
the security of a small in population country that still has less than 25
million throughout Australasia. On the other hand China
historically over 5000 years looked North and West to Continental Asia for
its security. Only since the 1840s has China gradually moved its focus to the
East and South, and only since December 1978 has the official government
policy been to open up and particularly in the area of trade and economic
relations with its Pacific regional and later global partners. The continued economic
development of China in part depends on global stability. And therefore this
relates directly to the policies of the Chinese government and its
wholehearted participation in the affairs of the world. What is in the best
interest of China and the Chinese people? The answer was membership of the
WTO (World Trade Organisation) and is both the signature and ratification of
the two United Nation’s Covenants on Economic, Social and Cultural Human
Rights and Civil and Political Human Rights. In the words of President Jiang
Zemin, the best interest of China lies in his philosophy of the ‘Three
Represents’ that includes the rooting out of corruption in public life
throughout China and the admission of business people to the Chinese
Communist Party. All of these issues are ‘rule of
law’ matters with Chinese characteristics – not the same as Australia or in
the US or UK with their Anglo-Saxon common law heritages, but moving in a
parallel direction from vastly different cultural backgrounds. It is vital that when we come
together today in Sydney Australia we recognise this bigger picture – of two
great cultural streams of East and West moving in parallel towards a new
global society based on the stability of ‘rule of law’ as the only way to
guaranteed our global economic future. Australia can only play a small
but unique role in this process. But our traditions of adherence to the
universal norms and procedures of the United Nations are unchallengeable. Our
love of freedom and liberty and constitutional government are second to none.
We will never allow those who preach war on one evil – terrorism – to
introduce another evil – abrogation of human rights and rule of international
law. The Chamber of which I have had
the great privilege and honour to lead since June 1989 will continue to
enunciate these values. And I know China will do the same. It is mandatory for all
international business people such as ourselves to work strenuously for
global peace with human rights, otherwise the economic stability and certainty
necessary for trade and investment will be in jeopardy. Despite our vast
cultural differences, the rule of international law is the only way to
achieve this objective. Thank
you for your attention. |
