Last weekend Little Kevin met in secret with the #5 in the Chinese autocracy, the Minister for Propaganda. Coincidentally a few days later the Competition Comm. green light Chinalco to go forward in their plans to buy Rio Tinto. Given that China will likely be a major lender in Kev's deficit bonanza can we expect our government to be free to make the correct decision?

Should Australia allow foreign governments, particularly undemocratic governments to own or control Australian assets?

Perhaps China will do a deal, Rudd and Fitzgibbon for Holt?

Johnny Howard tried to make Australia the 51 st stae for the USA . Rudd is making Australia the 24 province. The other problem we have is Rudd is an internationlist and given his way Australi will have a four tier of government soon with an EU style regional body overarching the federal parliament.

When is Australia going to relise that to build its future it cannot sell all its assets and jobs overseas? Where is Bismark when we need him ? at least he had a vision for germany - Pax Germanicus. - German jobs German companies becoming the factory of Europe. True it lead eventually to some dark place for germany but he had a vision mapped out for german industry for 100 years. Good grief ! we cannot get beyond the next election

It's an interesting question.

>>Should Australia allow foreign governments, particularly undemocratic governments to own or control Australian assets?<<

If we were to forbid such investments, we should be prepared at the same time to instruct our own companies to refrain from investment in overseas businesses.

Much as any decision to increase the cost of imports through tariff barriers would attract retaliation against our exports.

Pretending we can prosper by closing our borders to Johnnie Foreigner is an illusion.

Xenophobic? maybe but cute too.
Right now Rudd is the only runner in the politics race.
Turnbull can muster no more than 20%! less than half the number who vote for his party.
World bank to president of the USA are in agreement with him.
Australia is too, yet we doubt his right to talk to China?
Remember the first to visit communist China was an Australian prime minister, followed not lead by an American president.
I suspect Johny short bottom ,along with his boss Mrs short bottom had many more such meetings with a far more dangerous leader, Bush.

Palimpsest
Apart from Pericles being right.
The Chinese are buying 20% of a specific operation. They will not have say in the company’s export.
The ACCC see no conflict of interests, neither does the treasury or the Dept of foreign affairs.Are you suggesting a conspiracy? (groan)

Apart from the national strategic question which by the way a majority voted the Labor party in to deal with issues like this it seems to me your editorializing is at best ill-informed and churlish at worst.

Perhaps a little more reading an a modicum of objectivity might help.

Examinator/Pericles, I am not against foreign investment, I am questioning whether undemocratic (and maybe suppresive) regimes ought to be allowed to own Australian assets. Given that the state owned Chinalco is Rios largest customer and would become it's largest shareholder they would undoubdedly weild power. Do your own research examinator on this subject.

A possible outcome of a denial by our government might well be that China is less willing to fund our deficit; if I were to make a comparable claim of churlishness of recent US govts. no-one would bat an eyelid, or that China might respond in kind to our non-government owned companies.

It's easy to forget that Chinese citizens do not have the luxury of openly whacking their leaders on sites like this, and that it's only 20 years since the military murdered a fledgling pro-democracy movement. I'm quite fond of the idea of democracy myself.