Although Murchison is a relatively minor player, it is active in a region east of Geraldton that is becoming the new frontier of iron ore development after the Pilbara in the northwest of the state. The Rudd Government, which earlier this year approved Sinosteel's takeover of Midwest, another iron ore miner in the area, is clearly concerned about any consolidation of Chinese control in the region.Wha??? When did that happen? "Minor" company or not I want to know if the Chinese government owns it. What's all this "the Rudd Government ... is clearly concerned" bollocks? That basically means that the government did not say they were concerned on record, but the journo has made her own inference and stuck it in, at the behest of Rudd.
Rudd is trying to walk a very fine line here. He wants to please his Chinese mates, and he wants to stay on side with Aussie voters.
A man can't serve two masters and a Prime Minister can't server two countries.
It appears that Rudd has more recently decided to represent Australia. I suppose I should be grateful.
The OZ certainly wants me to be. This is reportage, not an opinion piece, and yet it is shamelessly spun to favour Rudd.
But the Government has been extremely wary of the strategic aims of Sinosteel all year. The Chinese metals and mineral trader had its application to take over 100 per cent of Midwest approved in early January, just after Labor won office.
This was before the new Government had a chance to focus on the significance of the issue in the midst of a resources boom.
"Before the government had a chance to focus?" If the PM has stayed at home a bit more maybe it would not have got past him. Kevin 24/7 my arse. Kev knew and he had a position as that was let the Chinese government have it and make sure the press don't report it.
I remember reading in Feb about Swan clarifying the rules so that the approval process for foreign investment would be transparent - so as not to upset the Chinese, he said. I warned at the time this was fishy.
I don't remember reading in Feb that Sinosteel had been allowed to fully take over Midwest, another iron ore mining company a month previously. I dont remember reading about it because it was not mentioned in my linked article about Chinese govt takeovers. I dont read the business pages. Perhaps it was in there. But this information extremely relevant to helping the reader form a fulling educated view on Rudd position on Chinese investment. It should have been in the earlier related article.
The OZ has been forced to reveal the approval now because now Rudd wanted coverage for his more recent rejection, sorry again, delaying announcement and they could not be seen to be so fundamentally biased, but The Australian is at pains to stress the Government was not at fault.
I can only conclude the OZ does not want us to form an informed position about Rudd's policy on Chinese investment. It is prepared to withhold information and to spin it Rudd's way when forced to reveal it. If the OZ is shamelessly selling us out to foreign communist dictatorships so as to maintain a priviledged position with the PM's press office they will come to regret it, and soon.
It's not the OZ's job to defend the government in a factual reporting piece. It's is their job to report the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth . Put IN the takeovers WHEN they happen. LEAVE OUT your interpretation of the government's motives. Leave that to the Rudd-besotted Paul Kelly in the editorials and opinion columns.
This opinion piece from Matthew Stevens today also adheres to the idea that Rudd's position on Chinese investment has "changed". It's changed from give it all to em, to give them half of it. Rudd proposes a 49.9% ceiling on ownership by foreign governments. The author points out this may well be in breach of free-trade treaties we are currently a party to, let alone the new one coming up with China. It also says the 49.9% is as good as 89.9% in terms of control in most cases. Ironically the opinion piece his less biased than the reportage. But both pieces have trouble representing the facts. There are conflicting bits of information between both. The opinion piece says says that the takoever of Midwest was done in March, not Jan (and that they dont own 100%) When was it guys?
