Julie, please refer to the Chinese President as President Xi. That is his surname. Jinping is his given name.

Secondly, if the Chinese don't like our carbon and mining taxes, too bad. As an Australian politician, you should be putting the interests of the Australian people first, not transferring your party's long-standing subservience to imperialist overlords to the new kid on the block.

If competition regarding the sale of miing resources is the primary concern, then *someone* is failing in their duty to be planning for a future diverse economy, which would survive a dip in productivity in one area.

Perhaps rather than pandering to special interests, *someone* should be discussing the diversification and support of a multi-stream economy?

This is an example of the government minds we are going to have?

Sure lets have a free trade agreement with China, and one with India, another with Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia.
I agree with Mike's sentiments, we need to put Australia and Australians first.
And end the forelock tugging or deference to any large foreign power, but particularly one that is still a totalitarian state, with a shameful human rights record.
If we can't sell our minerals Julie, then we should sell something else, like say energy.
We know that some metals become super conductors when very cold, and the pacific trench is a very cold place, meaning, we could run some cables to places like highly populated Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Singapore; and sell them energy.
[Read, Thorium, cheaper than coal; and, we have tons of the stuff!]
Long after the minerals in our ground and that of Africa, are but a memory, the world will still require food and energy.
Climate change will demand massive air conditioning usage; as will metals and water recycling.
We need to focus also on utilising our water resources to maximise food production and food security!
If we have the right energy and tax policies/reform, the high tech industries will beat a path to our door and thereby guarantee our future, and high quality life styles.
We should trade with anyone who wants our products, [cash and carry,]regardless of their political or religious norms!
The next boom will be a food boom, something which we can supply indefinitely.
We have vast arid areas, which will still support super large scale algae production, and quite massive, ultra dependable, very low cost, highly profitable bio-fuel production.
And something we could still be doing and relying on, well beyond the minerals boom; and indeed, developing endlessly sustainable bio-fuel export markets, and a balance of trade, well and truly in or favour.
I'm not at all sure that there are good times ahead. Population/economic pressures, are sure to throw a cat among the pigeons?
We need to see beyond the electoral/media cycle, that has mired domestic politics in very short term-ism!
Rhrosty.

I support mike's comment. I find it surprising that the shadow foreign affairs minister seems to not understand the Chinese naming convention.

You too, Brutus?

It is natural when Julia of Labor enjoys licking the backside of that communist belligerent country, but I would not expect the same from a Liberal member.

If the Chinese do not like Australian minerals - all for the better, it will help us to become self-sufficient again.

Free Tibet!

A very, very strange article indeed. The chinese have raised the ire and resentment of African nationals by being rude, arrogant and economic colonists. Their 'investment' in Africa is simply a euphemism for rape and pillage missions, which is how they operate. It is natural that the locals have retaliated the way they have. Does Julie seriously believe that chinese 'investment' (ownership before they even leave our shores) in Australian minerals would be any different? It does not matter which party is in power in Australia as both will pander to the 'Middle Kingdom', where dog is high on the menu and a savagely beaten dog even more so. If we had any morality at all we would have as little to do with them as possible.

So Julie is worried about our loss of trade with China.China is seeking other sources of energy and resources in Africa and South America.We have angered them by allowing increasing US military presence here.What do you expect? Both Paul Keating and Malcolm Fraser have warned against this US military policy of trying to contain China.

The so called 911 terrorists came from Saudi Arabia.Zibigniew Brezezinski had a close relationship with Osama Bin Ladin in giving the USSR their own Vietnam war.Afghanistan has over a $ trillion worth in Lithium needed for the battery industry.It is also on route for the oil pipeline from Turkmenistan.It is also strategically important to the USA in containing China.

It is time Julie for us to start speaking the truth.China, Russia Syria, Nth Korea and Iran are not our enemies.Our enemies are the Oligarchs who rule us.President Dwight Eisenhower warned us about the Military Industrial Complex and we have not taken heed.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/brics-challenges-unipolar-world-and-us-dollar-hegemony/5329590

Dear Arjay,

<<China, Russia Syria, Nth Korea and Iran are not our enemies.>>

Australia is blessed with perhaps the fewest enemies in the world, but that's not the issue here and it's not about interests (which sadly seems all that Julie Bishop is concerned about): the rulers of the above countries are the enemies of their own people - if we are to cooperate with their oppression and give them power, some of that karma will also be upon us.

Yuyutsu the West is no longer the leader in democracy or freedom.Obama has just past a bill excluding Monsanto from litigation.A private corp body is now a law unto itself.

Add into the mix The Patriot Act.Preventative Detention,NDAA and legalised assassination of suspected terrorists and we are looking worse China or Russia.

"the West is no longer the leader in democracy or freedom"

So who would that be? Perhaps Kenya, Russia?

Dear Arjay,

<<Yuyutsu the West is no longer the leader in democracy or freedom.>>

Perhaps so, but it's a red herring.

I can see that you are keen on the topic of corruption of democracy in the U.S.A, but you tend to insert it in unrelated discussions (including blaming small Israel for the crimes of big America - Israel has done some wrong things of course, but it is not responsible for what America does).

In opposition to the common idiom, "In Rome do as the Romans do", Hillel, the one who also formulated the golden rule: "What you hate, do not do to your fellow", also said: "where there are no men, be a man" (http://latter-rain.com/nt/hillel.htm).

Even if the rulers of each and every country around the globe oppress their populations, that gives us no moral license to support such rulers - and if our economic "interests" are hurt as a result, then so be it, we just need to re-learn to make it alone.

<<Obama has just past a bill excluding Monsanto from litigation.A private corp body is now a law unto itself.>>

That raises the case (which would be good to discuss on its own) of adding Obama to our black-list, not for taking China, Syria, Iran and North-Korea off it.

Free Tibet!