Australian MP Clive Palmer retracts anti-China insults

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2014-08-22

Cliver Palmer in an interview with Agence France-Presse in Sydney on
Aug. 27, 2013. (Photo/CFP)

Australian businessman and politician Clive Palmer has released a full statement retracting his earlier comments in which he called Chinese people "mongrels" and "bastards."

"I have been an admirer of China and its people for many years," Palmer wrote in an apologetic statement released Wednesday, adding that he has been "a major supporter of the Chinese for a long time."

The 60-year-old Palmer, a member of the Australian parliament, also praised China's "art, culture, technology and economic advancements" as well as the "virtues the Chinese people have for their families and the lives of so many," and singled out the first China-born Western Australia senator Dio Wang, saying that his Palmer United Party is fortunate to have the senator in its ranks.

According to Palmer's statement, his remarks made Monday night on Australian TV program Q&A, were only directed at "one Chinese state-owned company that has failed to honour its agreements and announcements made to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in early 2006," adding that it is "unacceptable" for the company to abuse the legal system "for commercial gain in a global strategic effort to control resources."

While the statement did not specify the name of the company, it has widely known that Palmer is engaged in a bitter legal dispute with Citic Pacific, his partner in the Sino Iron project in Western Australia. Citic Pacific is listed in Hong Kong and is 58% owned by the state-owned Citic Group in Beijing.

Despite Palmer's statement, many of his comments on Q&A appeared to be directed at the Chinese government, including, "they're communist, they shoot their own people, they haven't got a justice system and they want to take over this country."

It also did not help matters that after filming the segment, Palmer told the Australian Financial Review that he made "no distinction" between Citic Pacific and China's leadership, and that if he went to China "they'd shoot me."

Palmer also continued his assault against China on Australian radio on Tuesday, saying, "They have one-day trials, they don't have any democracy," and "there's no doubt that the Chinese government shoots thousands of people every year and suppresses political discussion."

"I feel for the Chinese people that live under such tyranny," he added.

The Australian government went into immediate damage control after Palmer made the remarks, reassuring Beijing that the relationship between the two countries is important and that China is still respected in Australia.

Australian prime minister Tony Abbott also went on national radio to brand Palmer's outburst "just over the top, shrill and wrong," adding that Palmer was not speaking for the whole country because it was a merely a "personal bitterness issue."

"What Clive Palmer said the other night was so destructive and really it's very hard to understand why someone who wants to be influential in our nation's life would be so simplistic and counterproductive," Abbott said.

Palmer also clearly hit a nerve in China, with the Chinese embassy in Canberra releasing a statement labeling his comments "absurd and irresponsible" and "full of ignorance and prejudice."

China's nationalistic tabloid Global Times also lambasted Palmer as well as Australia for the comments, saying the politician's "rampant rascality serves as a symbol that Australian society has an unfriendly attitude toward China."

"China cannot let him off, or show petty kindness just because the Australian government has condemned him," the opinion piece said, adding that China must "let those prancing provocateurs know how much of a price they pay when they deliberately rile us" by cutting all ties with Palmer's companies and those doing business with him.

Palmer had previously made comments in support of China, having accused the Australian government of racially discriminating against Chinese investment back in 2001, and stating that Chinese people need to be treated with the "dignity they deserve" in 2009.

According to Forbes, Palmer's net worth was estimated to be US$550 million as at January 2014, while BRW magazine had the figure much higher at A$1.22 billion (US$1.13 billion) as at June this year. Prior to his recent outburst, Palmer was best known outside of Australia for signing a deal with a Chinese shipyard in 2012 to construct a replica of the Titanic called the Titanic II, though the project has reportedly been suspended.

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