AUSTRALIA: A Visitor From China Eclipses Bush

Ross Rogers Jr. forwards this article "A Visitor From China Eclipses Bush's Stop in Australia" by Jane Perlez from the New York Times (10/25/03), with the comment : "And now Mr. Hu is spending three days in New Zealand. 20,000 Chinese students in Australia and how many students from India?" RH: I don't know, but clearly Australian universities are attracting more Asian students because of US restrictions on foreign students. Here is an excerpt from the article:

The Chinese president, Hu Jintao, addressed Australia's Parliament, a privilege accorded to him just one day after President Bush, and a juxtaposition almost inconceivable even a year ago in a nation long fearful of China. Mr. Hu officially laid out in his speech what has become obvious: Australia's natural resources, particularly oil and gas, are playing a critical role in fueling China's fast-growing economy. But in his parliamentary appearance, Mr. Hu went beyond economics by painting China as an all-around global player that was reaching out for broad diplomatic and cultural relations, including an increase in the already tens of thousands of Chinese students attending Australian universities.

In contrast, Mr. Bush in his address dwelled on a narrow agenda of the campaign against terrorism, and his gratitude to Australia for sending troops to Iraq. The biggest difference was in style, with an almost complete role reversal of what might be expected. The Chinese leader was gregarious; the American president, aloof. Mr. Bush left after 21 hours in Australia, stuck to this sleepy capital, Canberra, and was whisked around in motorcades on routes swept clear of ordinary people. He declined to hold a news conference, and was criticized in the usually pro-American press here for offering little beyond a pledge to complete the outline of a free trade agreement with Australia soon.

Mr. Hu is lingering for three days. He took the traditional outing for visiting dignitaries - a cruise on Sydney's splendid harbor. He met with Australian business executives at a working lunch, and, in an unusual move for a Chinese leader, held a news conference, albeit a fairly scripted affair. "Bush came, Hu conquered," headlined the Financial Review, the conservative business newspaper. For the full text, see: