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BEIJING : Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd spoke out on "significant" human rights problems in Tibet after arriving in Beijing on Wednesday, potentially hurting his efforts to enhance ties with China.
Rudd, a fluent Mandarin speaker, is the highest-profile western leader to visit China since unrest erupted in Tibet last month, and his four-day visit here is his first since he became premier last November.
But he began by defying his Chinese hosts and voicing concern over human rights in the Himalayan region, as well as touching on other controversies.
"Australia, like most other countries, recognises China sovereignty over Tibet but we also believe it is necessary to recognise there are significant human rights problems in Tibet," Rudd told Beijing University students.
"The current situation in Tibet is of concern to Australians. We recognise the need for all parties to avoid violence and find a solution through dialogue."
His comments were delivered in Mandarin, a skill that has already won him plaudits among the Chinese leadership, but his comments raised the risk of his trip to China being overshadowed by the sensitive Tibet situation.
China had already raised its concerns about previous comments by Rudd in which he called for the Chinese government to resume talks with exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama, who Beijing blames for fomenting the unrest.
"We can confirm that Australian and Chinese officials have discussed the comments and our differences over Tibet, both in Beijing and Canberra," an Australian foreign affairs department spokesman said earlier on Wednesday.
"The Australian government stands by its comments on Tibet, which reflect our firm and strongly held views."
China's communist rulers vehemently deny they are responsible for any human rights abuses in Tibet, and insist their 57-year control of the remote region has benefited its devoutly Buddhist people.
However, violent unrest by Tibetans in Tibet and other parts of western China over the past month has exposed deep frictions and angered the Chinese leadership because it has tarnished the run-up to the Beijing Olympics.
Tibetans have been protesting over what they say is widespread repression under Chinese rule.
Tibetan exiled leaders say more than 150 people have been killed in the Chinese crackdown on the protests. China says it has killed no-one, and blamed Tibetan "rioters" for the deaths of 20 people.
Pro-Tibet and human rights protesters have also disrupted the Olympic torch relays in London and Paris this week.
While Rudd told the students he did not support a boycott of the Olympics, he risked Beijing's ire further by talking about other human rights issues and controversies.
"There are still many problems in China. Problems of poverty, problems of uneven development, problems of pollution. Problems of broader human rights," he said.
"It is important to recognise that China's change is having a great impact, not just on China, but also the world."
Rudd described China's social transformation as "unprecedented in human history", but warned his audience that its rise was causing anxiety overseas.
"When people overseas are faced with big changes and uncertainties like these, they get nervous," he said, referring to jobs that have been transferred from other countries to China.
Rudd, who was posted to Beijing previously as a diplomat, is due to meet Premier Wen Jiabao on Thursday, and President Hu Jintao at the weekend at an economic forum on the southern Chinese island of Hainan.
His China stop comes near the end of his 17-day overseas trip, his first since winning office, that has included the United States and Britain.
His decision to leave Japan, which has long been Australia's key Asia ally, off the itinerary has raised diplomatic eyebrows and fuelled speculation of a more China-centric Asian policy.
The nucleus of that relationship is China's insatiable demand for Australia's rich energy and mineral resources, which Rudd said before his trip would be a key item on his Chinese agenda.
He has also said he would seek to work more closely with China on fighting climate change.
- AFP /ls
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