One must admit that Tony Abbott is quite effective as a leader of the Liberal Party and he has provided exactly what Australia wanted: a sense that the Government is somewhat unified.
Outside of that substantial achievement, he's mostly an idiot, true. Bad ideologies that harken back to dark times.
So why did he achieve the FTA with China? Why now? The document has been there for years. Most of the hard negotiation work was done by Simon Crean. It's just been sitting there, with Tony waiting for the USA to tell us we were allowed to have a FTA with China. Did they allow it? No.
China was interested in concluding this ten year old plan this year. They stated this earlier in the year in a very public way. As Australia dithered about, still awaiting USA permission, China upped the ante and placed a tariff on Australian coal, completely out of the blue, thus indicating "Sign it now or it all goes away." This is the power of President Xi. So, Australia signed it and it will do us good.
No matter what obscure antediluvian ideology is centred in the heart and mind of Mr Abbott, he knew he had to sign the document, and sign it now, and so he did.
It does impact on Australia-USA relationship in a big, profound, and ongoing way; but that is actually a good thing for us.
Mr Xi leads a China government that is the most unified in the history of China, the strongest, the most powerful and the most future-visioned, the most stable and the most secure. Mr Xi is the most powerful leader China has ever had. It is a good thing to have a deal with him when he suggests that it is time to do so.
Outside of that substantial achievement, he's mostly an idiot, true. Bad ideologies that harken back to dark times.
So why did he achieve the FTA with China? Why now? The document has been there for years. Most of the hard negotiation work was done by Simon Crean. It's just been sitting there, with Tony waiting for the USA to tell us we were allowed to have a FTA with China. Did they allow it? No.
China was interested in concluding this ten year old plan this year. They stated this earlier in the year in a very public way. As Australia dithered about, still awaiting USA permission, China upped the ante and placed a tariff on Australian coal, completely out of the blue, thus indicating "Sign it now or it all goes away." This is the power of President Xi. So, Australia signed it and it will do us good.
No matter what obscure antediluvian ideology is centred in the heart and mind of Mr Abbott, he knew he had to sign the document, and sign it now, and so he did.
It does impact on Australia-USA relationship in a big, profound, and ongoing way; but that is actually a good thing for us.
Mr Xi leads a China government that is the most unified in the history of China, the strongest, the most powerful and the most future-visioned, the most stable and the most secure. Mr Xi is the most powerful leader China has ever had. It is a good thing to have a deal with him when he suggests that it is time to do so.
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