Greens Leader Bob Brown has applauded the Prime Minister’s tough-talk with the Chinese over issues of human rights in Tibet.
Mr Rudd yesterday sustained an unofficial complaints against comments he made during a joint press conference with US President George W. Bush.
The Prime Minister said while in Washington when asked about the Tibetan issue that it was clear some human rights breaches had occurred at the hands of China.
The Chinese Government was later angered by the Mandarin-speaking Prime Minister, saying that his comments were “unfounded”.
However Mr Brown told the ABC today that the Prime Minister’s comments were simply a reflection of how Australians felt about the Tibetan issue.
“Kevin Rudd’s reading the Australian people’s mood on this issue,” Mr Brown said.
“I’ve always maintained that the best thing with the Chinese dictatorship is to look them in the eye and tell them what Australians think.”
Mr Brown said that the PM’s tough talk was on the way to working to find a solution on the Tibetan human rights issues.
The Prime Minister said yesterday that he would not be silenced over his and the Australian people’s belief about Tibet.
Mr Rudd said the relationship could endure a disagreement.
“This is a broad-based relationship. This is an area of difference and disagreement. I have always said, let’s work on the things that we have in common, that we agree on, and let’s be frank and straight forward about some of the things that we don’t,” he said.
