A senior Australian legislator accused the government yesterday of kow-towing to "dictatorship" after it prevented a handful of lawmakers and their guests from an historic parliament address by Chinese President Hu Jintao (
Senator Bob Brown of the Green party, one of two legislators barred entry to Hu's speech on Friday, said parliamentary officials allowed the Chinese to virtually screen those allowed to attend the address in a bid to prevent any impromptu protests.
Brown and fellow Greens Senator Kerry Nettle had on Thursday heckled US President George W. Bush when he addressed parliament, and Hu reportedly threatened to cancel his speech unless Australia guaranteed there would be no repeat of the embarrassing incident.
Brown said a Chinese pro-democracy activist and two Tibetans invited by the Greens to hear Hu's speech from the public gallery were prevented from entering the hall by Chinese secret service agents.
The three, chairman of the Federation for a Democratic China Australia division Chin Jin, and two Tibetans, Dhondup Phun Tsok and Tsering Deki Tshoko, were permitted to hear the speech from behind a soundproof glass wall a floor above the public gallery.
"When parliament's presiding officers took orders from President Hu to expel legitimate visitors from the public gallery ... it was shameful buckling of democracy to dictatorship," Brown said in a statement.
"This insipid kow-tow to China's communist dictatorship will be referred to the Privileges Committee," he said, calling on Prime Minister John Howard to explain the actions of parliamentary officials.
"The running of parliament must never be dictated from outside, most of all by foreign powers," he said.
Hu flew from Australia to New Zealand early yesterday, ending a three-day visit dominated by trade and investment issues.
There has been no official comment by the Howard government on why official guests had been prevented from hearing Hu's speech, the first to a joint session of Australia's parliament by an Asian leader.
Australian newspapers reported yesterday that Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing went to the office of the speaker of the House of Representatives, Neil Andrew, 30 minutes before Hu was due to arrive at parliament and threatened to cancel the presidential speech unless steps were taken to prevent any protests like those which met Bush.
When Hu finally spoke, he told the Australian lawmakers that China was "ready to be your long-term and stable cooperation partner, dedicated to closer cooperation based on equality and mutual benefit."
After the speech, Hu and Howard signed a framework agreement on trade and economics which Hu said marked "a brand new stage" in trade ties between the countries.
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