Belly, it's not about Little Kevins right to talk to the Chinese but about the secretiveness of the meeting. Our press were kept in the dark and were scooped by the 'free' press from China.

And I seem to remember that Nixon beat Whitlam as PM to China by a mile. Gough might have gone earlier but not as PM. I could be wrong on this.

Gough visited China in 1971 as opposition leader, Nixon visited China in 1972 as President

What is the foreign ownership record
in Australia?

How many foreign companies and governments
generate money out of Australia every year?

How many Australian companies generate money
offshore - either by exports or foreign-owned
operations?

It would be interesting to compare the numbers.

>>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.

Just a couple of points:
The point is that it's a government controlled company, and comparing it to our private companies is apples and oranges.
Plus being a large customer and a major shareholder allows for transfer pricing, to our detriment, with lots of zeros.

I remain amused by the whole thing, and by the idea we did not open the door to China for Nixon.
How many private meetings has American leader had, or English?
Did we know of every meeting John Howard had? should we?
No not in my view.
China then who do we not trade and talk to?
Once maybe now, Indonesia,so very many country's could be on that list.
We trade more each day with China, we prosper in doing so, I see the same diplomacy here that every country use,s in its own interests.
The growing fighting shadows, inferring we should fear China and our connections ignores history, trade is a help in opening such country's up.
Contact is too.

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

Why not we let undemocratic corporations own them?