If you missed CNBC this morning, or maybe don’t get CCTV on your local cable, then you may have missed Kevin Rudd, Australian Labor’s option for Prime Minister of Australia, getting to know the International Audience. This is one place America lets itself down, its never that interested in other country's, unless they are already on fire, under coup or ready for a good Texas style bombing.
With the opinion polls the way they are, Rudd feel’s he can take time out from the Domestic campaign, to do some friendly’s with the International Audience.
CCTV is of course the Chinese National Broadcaster, and if you hadn’t caught Rudd in action at APEC, he does a mean Mandarin; he picked up the language while being a Diplomat to China as well as working for Private Energy Interests in Beijing as well. So if the Chinese think they can get one behind his back at a trade summit by slipping into their native tongue, they better hope its Cantonese!
While Rudd has put to bed any idea that he is anti-American (well no more than any other "ally" at the moment), you can’t help feeling that if it came down to a choice between the biggest (and I mean trade surplus) trading partner China, and the Military alliance with the US, China could, would, probably win. I’m not saying Aussie troops would be getting a beach head on Taiwan with the Chinese Peoples Army in the rear (like Australia and the US in Iraq), but I’m suggesting a "I seeee nothing!!!!" approach.
China is the only one who can keep together security in SE Asia and the Pacific region now anyway, no one expects America to be able to mount any defence in this region, once the bombing of Iran starts, and since Australia has already told the US and Japan to go jump on their policy of Chinese containment, it’s only natural for Australia's new best friends (who have a interest, American TV didn’t take a Interview Option with Rudd) to get to know, Australia’s next PM.
What no 60 minutes interview that Rudd can walk out on! You’d think America doesn’t care about its allies!