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Hu urges more support for U.N.
SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- China's President Hu Jintao has urged the world to give full backing to the United Nations in solving security issues. Speaking to the Australian parliament in Canberra Friday, Hu said the world should reaffirm a commitment to multilateralism and give "full scope" to the U.N.'s role on security matters. Hu's remarks stand in sharp relief to U.S. criticism of the United Nations in the lead-up to the war on Iraq earlier this year. And in contrast to the parliamentary address a day earlier by U.S. President George W. Bush, there was no heckling from Australian parliamentarians or onlookers. (Bush heckled in speech) The two Australian Greens Party senators who interrupted Bush's speech on Thursday were barred from entering parliament for Hu's address. (Hecklers blocked) Hu's 20-minute speech was notable for what it did not mention, in particular the recent war in Iraq. Although Hu pledged China's full support to combating terrorism, there was no reference to the U.S.-led campaign to topple Saddam Hussein. Nor did Hu raise the subject of North Korea's nuclear program, an issue referred to by Australian Prime Minister John Howard in his welcome to the Chinese president. But he showed no such reserve over Taiwan, specifically reiterating that the island is an "inalienable part of China" and that its peaceful reunification was a common aspiration of all Chinese. He condemned what he called the "splittist activities" of those promoting independence for Taiwan and urged Australia to lobby for Taiwan's unification with the mainland. (China lobbies Australia) China regards Taiwan as a renegade province and is warned the island's government that any move to declare formal independence will not be tolerated. 'Mature relationship'Hu, who is on a four-day visit to Australia after attending the APEC summit in Bangkok earlier this week, said China welcomed Australia's constructive role in regional and international affairs. In the past two years, Australia has taken a more high-profile role in international affairs. It has committed troops to military action in Iraq and Afghanistan in support of the U.S.-led war on terror, and has also led a mission to restore order in the Solomon Islands. Its forces are also in East Timor. Welcoming Hu, Howard said Australia and China had a "mature and practical relationship" under which two-way trade had trebled since 1996 to about $15 billion a year. China is now Australia's third-largest trade partner after Japan and the United States, and the two leaders are to sign a series of agreements later Friday to extend trade and economic ties. Among these is a trade and economic framework that is designed to lead to a full free trade agreement later. Another one of the agreements due to be signed is an extension of the 20-year $15 billion liquefied natural gas supply deal that Australia and China reached last year. It will involve Chinese oil major CNOOC taking a 12.5 percent stake in the Gorgon gas project off the North West Shelf of Western Australia, leading to $20 million of gas exports over 25 years. Australian Greens senators Bob Brown and Kerry Nettle, who interjected during Bush's address Thursday, were blocked from entering parliament Friday morning to hear Hu's address. Outside parliament, members of the Falun Gong movement, which is banned in China, staged a silent protest. Hu earlier visited the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games site Thursday for a briefing on the venues. China's capital Beijing will be host to the 2008 Games and many Australian firms are bidding for contracts related to that event.
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A peaceful solution to the Taiwan question serves the interest of all the Chinese people ... just as it serves the common interests of all countries in the region, including Australia.
