SYDNEY – Foreign Minister Alexander Downer defended a lock-out of two senators during an unprecedented address to Australia’s parliament by Chinese President Hu Jintao, saying protests during the speech would have damaged ties.
The Chinese came close to cancelling Friday’s speech after Green party senators Bob Brown and Kerry Nettle heckled US President George W. Bush during a speech on Thursday, Downer told national television.
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“Obviously they were very preoccupied with what Brown and Nettle did the previous day,” Downer said.
Protests and interruptions during Hu’s speech would have had serious consequences for bilateral ties, Downer said. Hu’s visit was largely focussed on trade, and ended with the signing of a framework deal on economic ties.
“I think if the speeches had been the other way round, if President Hu had come before a democratic leader like President Bush and there’d been protests during President Hu’s speech, the implications for our relationship with China could have been very serious.
“Whereas there were no implications for our relationship with America out of what they’ve done.”
The Green party senators were suspended for 24 hours for defying speaker’s orders to leave the chamber during Bush’s speech on Thursday. On Friday they attempted to enter the chamber for Hu’s speech but were prevented.
Two Tibetan activists and a Chinese pro-democracy activist were also prevented from entering the public gallery and moved to a glass-screened section instead, a move Brown said was made after intervention from a Chinese security agent.
Brown condemned the action, but the Greens’ interruptions during Bush’s speech were also condemned by other opposition parties.
Hu’s visit was not marked by the huge and sometimes violent protests that occurred during Bush’s visit to Canberra.
