Gough Whitlam: Former prime minister the father of Australia-China relations, Beijing says Former prime minister Gough Whitlam has been described overnight in Beijing as the father of China-Australia relations. Under his leadership, at the height of the Cold War, Australia became one of the first Western nations to recognise the communist government as the legitimate rulers of that vast and, at the time, isolated country. Last night in Beijing, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying praised Mr Whitlams contribution to the promotion of relations between China and Australia. The former Australian prime minister was an outstanding statesman and an old friend of the people of China, Ms Hua said. We express deep condolence over his passing and convey sympathy to his family. On Chinese television, CCTV reports of Mr Whitlams death described him as the father of China-Australia relations. Mr Whitlam visited China in 1971 as opposition leader, telling his hosts that as soon as Labor got in power it was going to recognise their government, and it did. Then an adviser in his 20s, ABC chairman Jim Spigelman accompanied Mr Whitlam to Beijing when he became prime minister. It was clearly an international breakthrough of some significance, Mr Spigelman said. Whitlam was feted at the highest level and he had been one of the first political leaders in the Western world to seek to recognise red China. When he went as leader of the opposition he happened to be there at the same time as Kissinger was there in a secret mission to organise the Nixon visit. Mr Whitlams recognition of China was at the time seen as radical, but after US president Richard Nixon followed suit, those who had opposed the policy were suddenly on the fringe. The Gough Whitlam China policy is now hailed as a visionary shift that paved the way for China to become Australias major trading partner.
Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 01:26:32 +0000
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