China-Exports Row

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31462, 31 August 1967, Page 11

China-Exports Row

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) CANBERRA, Aug. 30.

The Senate has rejected an Opposition move which condemned the Australian Government for allowing exports of steel to China.

The voting on the urgency motion reached a 25-all deadlock last night and was automatically lost After a heated three-hour debate, the Opposition moved the closure of the debate to force a vote before the time allowed for discussing urgency motions expired. Two Independent Senators, Senator D. C. Hannaford and Senator R. J. D. Turnbull supported the Opposition, while two of the Democratic Labour Party, Senator V. C. Gair and Senator F. P. McManues, supported the Government. Earlier, in the House of Representatives, the Minister for External Affairs, Mr P. M. Hasluck, said Australia’s policy toward China was designed to cover both shortterm dangers and realities, and long-term hopas for gradual normalisation of relations.

In the Senate last night, Opposition Senator H. G. J. Cant, moved the urgency motion. He said the matter was extremely serious for the Australian people. “Double Standard”

Senator Cant said the purpose of the debate was to reveal to the Australian people that the Holt Government had “a double standard.” “The Government depicts China as the principle enemy of Australia in South-east

Asia,” Senator Cant said. “The Government has created a fear complex in the minds of the Australian people.” It was now revealed that the Government was trading with this enemy—this potential aggressor, he said.

Senator Cant said the Government had a "double standard” of “feed and fight” China. “How can the Government justify trading on such a considerable scale with the socalled enemy?” he asked the Senate.

Senator Cant said the value of trade with China in 1965-66 had been $106,541,000 and this had risen this year to $131,484,000.

Replying, the Government Senate leader, Senator N. H. D. Henty, said the Government’s policy, in line with other Western countries, was to prevent the export of strategic materials to Communist China.

But it did not prevent the sale by traders to China of items not on the list of 121 prohibited strategic exports, when these items were freely available to China from sources of supply other than Australia.

Senator Henty said the 37,522 tons of steel exported from Australia to China in 1966-67 was almost wholly steelplate, 25,000 tons of it less than one-eighth of an inch thick.