But they are planning to sell the mines too to China! Its good we have people like Hunter01 around just goes to show how these animals think like.
Just an extract below there are two articles about the government in Australia wanting to have China mine uranium in Australia. Hunter did say I was lying, the government is look at ways to allow chinses ownership of a mine in Australia, just wait for this to happen.
ALEXANDER DOWNER: Well, if China, if Labor changed its policy, if we had a nuclear safeguards agreement, and if the Foreign Investment Review Board approved the investment, then they could do it, but there are - to use a Chinese-style expression - the three ifs.
www.abc.net.au-am-content-2005-s1483665.htm
China wants Australia's uranium PRINT FRIENDLY EMAIL STORY AM - Monday, 17 October , 2005 08:14:01 Reporter: Catherine McGrath TONY EASTLEY: China wants to mine uranium in Australia, and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says it's possible but only if Labor changes its three mines policy.
Mr Downer says the Chinese plans would also have to pbutt the Foreign Investment Review Board, and the Nuclear Safeguards Agreement would have to be finalised.
Alexander Downer has confirmed reports in today's Age newspaper that he was asked about the issue in a meeting with Chinese officials in August last year.
At that meeting, Chinese delegates said they knew that the issue was a "sensitive one for Australia".
Alexander Downer is speaking here with our Chief Political Correspondent Catherine McGrath.
CATHERINE MCGRATH: Alexander Downer, can you tell us first of all about that meeting with China's Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, Zhang Guobao, where he asked about access to the Australian industry?
ALEXANDER DOWNER: Well I explained to him, from recollection, but it's quite a long time ago, that obviously we have nuclear safeguards agreements and we don't export uranium to countries that aren't, with which we don't have a nuclear safeguards agreement.
So, beyond that, if China wanted to negotiate with Australia a nuclear safeguards agreement, and that was satisfactorily negotiated, we would be able to export uranium to China.
CATHERINE MCGRATH: So what came first, their interest in exporting and receiving Australian uranium and having a safeguards agreement, or their desire to be part of the industry here and conduct their own exploration and mining?
ALEXANDER DOWNER: I honestly don't know the answer to that, excepting that they can't of course export uranium from Australia to China unless they have a nuclear safeguards agreement.
CATHERINE MCGRATH: Given China's nuclear weapons, would it have the ability to be involved in exploring and exporting uranium from here?
ALEXANDER DOWNER: Well, France does of course, and France is a nuclear weapon state, so anything's possible I suppose, but you've got to remember that the States have a. sorry, the Labor Party overall, and they control all of the States and Territories, they have a three mines policy. So they wouldn't approve any new uranium mines, so it's all a bit academic unless they change their policy.
But if they change their policy, well there's no reason why Chinese companies can't invest in Australian resources industries, but that would all be subject to the Foreign Investment Review Board.
CATHERINE MCGRATH: Would there be greater concerns with China, though? Given the power issues at the moment between China and Taiwan, given the involvement of the US, the sensitivity there is so much greater than, for example, the French experience?
ALEXANDER DOWNER: Well I wouldn't align China with the old Soviet Union, as people sort of seem to do, they think that China is trying to export some, you know, communist ideology. China is not trying to export ideology to anybody.
China is a rapidly developing economy, and those concerns would be dealt with, that you mention in your question, they would be dealt with by the fact that we wouldn't be exporting any uranium to China for military purposes of any kind, and by that I don't only mean for use in nuclear weapons, but also we wouldn't be exporting any uranium to China for use in military vessels of one kind or vehicles of one kind or another.
CATHERINE MCGRATH: So, Mr Downer, do you personally support it?
ALEXANDER DOWNER: Ah, well I'm a supporter of the nuclear industry, and I do.
CATHERINE MCGRATH: Are you a supporter of China being involved in its own exploration here?
ALEXANDER DOWNER: Well, I mean, we'd have to look at it on a case-by-case basis.
CATHERINE MCGRATH: But there's nothing to stop China doing it if Labor changed its policy, and if China met the safeguards agreement?
ALEXANDER DOWNER: Well, if China, if Labor changed its policy, if we had a nuclear safeguards agreement, and if the Foreign Investment Review Board approved the investment, then they could do it, but there are - to use a Chinese-style expression - the three ifs.
TONY EASTLEY: The Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, speaking with Catherine McGrath.
PM-2005-10-17-1129401160983.html
Govt open to China uranium exploration October 17, 2005 - 5:14AM
Page Tools Email to a friend Printer format The federal government is open to the idea of China conducting uranium exploration and mining in Australia.
The two nations are in the midst of negotiations to draw up a nuclear safeguards agreement that would allow Australia to export uranium to China.
China apparently wants to take those talks further, asking Australia if it could conduct its own mining and exploration.
China raised the issue during talks in February, Fairfax newspapers reported.
Prime Minister John Howard said he was not aware of any approach from China.
International Stuff 2595Frank Kalder oh sure well this link should tell you that sometimes women can be drama queens, as can men obviously I am probably a poor...
"I'm not directly aware of any approach other than the normal interest of companies in which Chinese financial interests may in turn have an interest," he told the Nine Network.
"If China, or indeed anybody else, wants to mine uranium in Australia they'll be subject to the same laws as anybody else; that's our foreign investment laws."
The Chinese Embbutty in Canberra would not say whether it was interested in investing in Australia's uranium industry.
Advertisement AdvertisementA spokeswoman for Chinese ambbuttador Madame Fu Ying said it was too early to comment while the two countries were still negotiating the nuclear safeguards agreement.
"It is still too early to say what level of cooperation we will have," she told AAP.
She confirmed Australia had sent Beijing a draft agreement, which was still being considered.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said China would be treated like any other country and would have to overcome a number of hurdles.
"There is no reason why Chinese companies can't invest in the Australian resources industry but that would all be subject to the foreign investment review board," he told ABC radio.
Another stumbling block to Chinese investment would be Labor's three mines policy, which puts a limit on the development of any new uranium mines in Australia.
Labor controls all the state and territory governments in Australia.
Mr Downer said the other proviso on Chinese investment would be a deal on a nuclear safeguards agreement.
"If Labor changed its (three mines) policy, if we had a nuclear safeguards agreement and if the foreign investment review board approved the investment, then (China) could do it but they are, to use a Chinese style expression, the three ifs," he said.
Opposition Leader Kim Beazley indicated Labor had no intention of changing its three mines policy.
"I would say at this stage we're as far into the business as we want to be," he said.
"They've got plenty of opportunity to acquire uranium from current facilities."
Australian Greens senator Bob Brown urged the government against engaging with China on uranium sales or investment in the industry.
"In this age of terrorism and handbag-sized nuclear weapons, selling uranium to Beijing is reminiscent of selling pig-iron to prewar Japan," he said in a statement.
Hope in heretical voicesSelf-buttessment is a tricky business. At a personal level, too much of the stuff has you moaning on a psychiatrist's leather couch for years...
© 2005 AAP
