Transcript
CARLOS PASCUAL: Today we are going to focus our attention on Australia-U.S. relations in the context of a rising China. Certainly China's economic growth, its vast use and burgeoning use of energy resources, its expanding military capabilities, its role on the international stage, its use or its position in the U.N. Security Council, and its potential use of its veto power have had a huge impact on the Asia-Pacific countries and have led to increased attention throughout the Asia-Pacific region on China. In fact, it's even had an impact on Washington's attention on China despite all of the focus that we have seen in Iraq and, if not Washington at least Goldman Sachs is certainly paying attention to what's happening in China these days as well.
For Australia, the issues related to China are part of its very lifeblood; and indeed if one might even not necessarily consider the direct importance of China today, if one looks ahead to the future and to the year 2050 when China will have the world's largest GDP, it will be the largest emitter of carbon; it will have the world's largest standing military and the second largest population in the world; and I think it would be fair to say that there will be no problem in the world, whether its economic, political, security, or the proponents' very ecological sustainability that can be addressed without engaging China.
We have a great deal to learn from Australia, because it has really integrated this into the core of its foreign policy. It is part of Australia's lifeblood in the way that it looks at the world and the region, and so therefore we're really pleased to be able to learn today from what Kevin Rudd has to share with us.
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