Chinese president Hu Jintao likes Australia’s new Prime Minister, who served as a diplomat to China in the 80s, so much that he invited Kevin Rudd and his family to next year’s Olympics months before Rudd would go on to defeat incumbent John Howard in this past weekend’s election.
What might Chinese bloggers make of Rudd’s extensive China connection? NetEase made the story its top feature for most of Sunday, Nov. 25.
MSN Live Spaces blogger Huang Xiaoyu with “Kevin Rudd’s Victory” :
"After midnight, I heard that Rudd had won. As expected, judging from media predictions and voter polls here. The Labour Party rode in smoothly, replacing the Liberal-National Party coalition after 11 years in power.
After the news came out, Chinese domestic media got all excited. Sina put out a number of reports, and CCTV International had their own exclusive.
What’s most interesting is that this new Prime Minister can speak Chinese, a sweet dream for Sino-Australian relations. Chinese people, including all us international students, have been longing for something like this.
Within his administrative platform are several points I’m especially interested in, one of which is raising standards and funding for education. Though it seems this is planned for 2009, so I don’t know how much it will affect me.
Another is improvement of the internet infrastructure. Just look at how crap the internet is here, at 512 K ADSL it’s even more behind that the mainland…so they know they have to change that.
The rest, things like health care and social security, signing the Kyoto Protocol and withdrawing troops from Iraq, don’t have much bearing on us at all.
Though, I do think that one of his trump cards to getting elected is how old his opponent is. John Howard this old bald donkey has been swaying in front of everyone’s eyes for eleven years already. People are just sick and tired of seeing him.
Also, I feel that regardless if Rudd won or Howard were to stay on, it still wouldn’t have all that big an impact on the overall Sino-Australian relations. The only difference is that Rudd is just more familiar with China.
The Americanist stance won’t change. Only that Australia’s role of having subtle ties to Sino-American relations will become clearer
This morning as soon as I got on the internet, I saw that the president of France is now visiting China, and he’s brought with him 100 billion in contracts in mind.
For China, this era is an era full of hope. After 200 years of oppression and struggle, it’s like everything is back on track just like Wheel of Fortune…"
DreamhouseLHH1106 with “Who is Kevin Rudd?”:
"Who is Rudd?
Australia’s had an election these past few days
All the media are full of news of it
The second you turn on the TV
It’s all covering the election
When reporters ask voters what their thoughts on the election are
Most are using the word ‘boring’
I’m thinking that since most people think this is boring
Why are the TV stations and other media covering the election nonstop?
It’s not because Hollywood screenwriters are on strike is it, leaving the stations with no sitcoms to run
Thus running the election instead?
Last night the results finally came out
The Labour Party’s Kevin Rudd beat the Liberal-Nationals’ John Howard, and Australia now has a new Prime Minister
Rudd won partly because his proposals on social welfare drew voters
Australia’s economy has been picking up quickly these last few years
But for the average person rising wages aside, welfare hasn’t been keeping up so well
(actually Australia’s social welfare is already great, one of the best of all developed countries)
On this point it has a little in common with China
And for Rudd, who himself had a rough childhood to play the welfare card, drew many voters
On the other hand, his China background also drew him huge numbers of Asian voters
Although Rudd is a born-and-raised white Australian
He still speaks fluent Chinese
In university he majored in Chinese and Chinese history
After university he worked in Beijing for eight years
Not just that his three children can all speak Chinese
His son is doing post-grad studies at Fudan right now
The Labour Party has always been pro-Asia
With numbers of Asian—especially Chinese—immigrants on the rise
Rudd naturally worked that to get the win
But I still feel that Rudd’s got great foresight
Thirty years ago when Chinese was so unpopular he went and chose it for a major
Though actually now in the West, be it the political or corporate world, anyone with a work or education background in China or Asia
Has got great prospects for their own career development
Only who knows if Westerners can “be overseas” like us Chinese
Who is Rudd?
Starting today, he’s Australia’s Prime Minister"
Sina blogger Gong Xuezhong with “Now that Rudd has won, the infantilism has begun”:
"I was looking through some Chinese websites, they’re all cheering; the way they all see it, now that Australia has a Sinophile as head of state, this just indicates how much more to China’s advantage Australia will be from now on.
I laughed and laughed, so hard I couldn’t speak, all I could get out was—”childish!”
What kind of country is Singapore? It’s an ethnic Chinese country. Is it pro-China?
Israel’s Prime Minister grew up in Harbin, his father’s grave is in Harbin. Is Israel pro-China?
When Bush was young he followed his dad (who was director the the liaison office in Beijing) to Beijing for a few years. Is he pro-China?
Korea, from race to culture, has roots in China. Is Korea pro-China?
Japan, from race to culture, has roots in China. Is Japan pro-China?
Taiwan…shall I stop now?
Love doesn’t just come without a reason, nor does hate. Pro- or not, irrespective of class.
So just what is this “class” and what are its “positions”?
One, “anti-China.” Don’t think that Western countries are anti-China just because China is a Communist state. Only liars use that reason. Western countries are anti-China just because you are China, because you grow stronger and stronger. Take a look at Russia, which hasn’t been communist for years, but is increasingly the thorn in Western countries’ sides.
Two, “anti-Communist.” This is of course is an excuse made for their real reason. For example, Western countries are not anti-Vietnam, because Vietnam is too weak and small, and cannot threaten them.
Three, “anti-Chinese, because you’re not the same “breed” as them.Rudd is going to be Prime Minister; I bet this minions will be happy. And us, no matter what we won’t be able to find any reason whatsoever to be happy about this. Because Rudd is gonna be just like the ones who came before him, carrying out the military alliance with America, who together with Japan, will continue to keep China’s military contained, doing just like his predecessor in meeting with the Dalai……and why? One because he must be “anti-China,” two because he must be “anti-Communist,” and three because he must be “anti-Chinese.” The root cause, is “class struggle….”"
Somewhat similarly, the HoopChina BBS author ‘30 point lag’ was inspired by the influential and slightly fanatical nationalist blogger/Starbucks boycotter/CCTV International Anchorman Rui Chenggang’s lengthy exclusive interview with Rudd, “My Best Australian Friend Who Became Prime Minister” [zh], to provide his own profile and a thread for discussion:
"He himself during undergraduate majored in Chinese, studying classical Chinese, modern Chinese, Chinese history, Chinese literature and Chinese philosophy (and I’m afraid to say that his Chinese is better than that of most Chinese people), and his three children have all studied Chinese. His daughter is married to a Chinese Hong Konger. His son has been studying law and Chinese (and he’s pretty good) at Fudan University for the past two years. His younger son is still in high school, and is also studying Chinese.
It’s great, very mighty"
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