I fear there is a climate of political correctness in Australian government and media responses to matters concerning China. It was much easier to criticise Communist bloc countries when trade was not involved.

We have only to look at "Wheatgate" to see elements of political correctness in placing trade on a higher plane than principle (at least until you get caught).

What has political correctness (ie manners) got to do with paying bribes?

May I say that when I questioned my local MP and a few Senators about the issue of Human rights in China and why they don't openly condemn the Chinese Communist regime, I was told that they were frightened of upsetting the Regime. I had always thought it was because of trade but the reality of this is that China needs our resources, so trade cannot be the real issue. The real issue is that the leaders of Australia are scared of the regime turning into another North Korea. Well Ive got news for the so called leaders of this country. The Chinese Communist regime has killed 80 million of its own people in peace times during their 56 years of dictatership. The Chinese rulers today have not changed, they just hide it now and pretend it doesnt happen.But good people know better. The advice I give to Mr Howard and Mr Downer is " kowtowing with fear will not make the problem go away. Australia has been a tough brave nation in the past.And the Australian people will not putup with any interference from the Chinese Communist Regime at any stage.This intereference has already begun and the leaders of Australia are already using their positions of power to abuse this democratic nations rights. Wake up Australian people for if we dont protest now then we may be another Taiwan after the 2008 Olympic Games.

Pig Iron Bob Menzies warned us about the yellow peril in the 1950's, reds under the beds he said...now we are flamin' tradin' with em' and cowtowing to em' what's goin on'...we still have a Liberal PM, so I ask again "what's goin' on...

Bloody commo's left wing bloody commo's Col Rouge hates em' why should we trade with em'....Oh! PARDON ME they are making the USA owners of Rio Tinto a packet of money.....I have put my foot in it again havn't I...sorry Mr. President...I didn't mean...eh I mean I didn't mean...eh you know what I mean....

China is an authoritarian state, no question, and our governments and business community are disgraceful in their willingness to sidestep and acquiesce to that authoritarianism in the name of trade and commerce. (North Koreanness has nothing to do with anything).

But, NTDTV is indeed a Falungong organization, along with the Epoch Times global newspaper. These are part of what appears to be a coordinated, well-planned and well-funded strategy by Falungong to attack the Chinese government - sometimes in the name of democracy, sometimes in the name of a Greater Chinese culture or civilization, as in the case of this global "gala".

Now that's fine, but Falungong do not make it clear that they have such a broad, global agenda. The line that they are just a "spiritual movement" or a form of taichi is nonsense and in the case of this event, they clearly have actively concealed their identity. I have had personal experience of this, of being lied to by a practioner representing NTDTV when I asked if he was Falungong.

Now, whatever we may think of the Chinese government, we still have the right to question what Falungong is up to, and until they are prepared to be open and honest about their activities and agenda, then we should keep them at arms length. The dancers did the right thing.

In response to mhar's previous post. The only agenda Falun Gong practitioners have is to stop the six year long persection of Falun Gong in China and to put an end to tens of thousands of Falun Gong deaths and millions of Falun Gong practitioners who have been tortured incarcerated, put into slave labour camps and suffered at the hands of the Chinese Communist Regime for their beliefs.Families have been torn apart, its like the cultual revolution all over again except the Chinese Commuist Regime does it secretly now and denies everything.
In order to stop the persecution, exposure of the Chinese Communist regimes history and it's deception murder and persecution of all that is good in the world must be revealed so that everyone can wake up to the real nature of this evil regime including the Chinese people and all western Governments who have as you said "been disgraceful in their willingness to sidestep and acquiesce."
When the persecution of Falun Gong began in 1999 the Chinese Communist regime began a worldwide propoganda campaign to slander discredit and incite hatred against Falun Gong . We have worked hard to change this around so that people realize that Falun Gong is good and the CCP is evil. Tell me is there anything illegal or underhand about that? Yet everything the Chinese Communist regime does is illegal and underhand.
I read a newswire the other day . A journalist wrote that the CCP is not afraid of the USA or any other country but they are afraid of Falun Gong.We have become one heart and immoblised ourselves to tell the truth and put an end this persecution because our compassion has come forth for humankind.
We expose their crimes like no other group has ever been able to do and survive. How can we do this? Because we do it peacefully and with complete non violence.Great things can be achieved when truthfulness compassion and tolerance are at the core of all that you do.When the persecution stops we will go back to just practising out meditation in peace.