Appendix 2


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Appendix 2: Parliamentary Questionnaire: Australia’s Relationship with China

As the 2007 Australia Parliamentary Fellow I am conducting research on the ways the Australian Parliament views, or has viewed, the relationship between Australia and China. As part of this project, I am sending a questionnaire to all Senators and Members of Parliament.

The following questionnaire seeks your response to a range of questions about the nature of the Australia–China relationship, Australia’s foreign policy priorities and the China-related matters that are raised by your constituents. Your participation is important to the success of this project and the representativeness of the data. The questionnaire should take you approximately 10 minutes to complete. In order to facilitate the compilation of data please complete and return the questionnaire by 13 July 2007.

Your responses are confidential, non-attributable and will only be presented as aggregated data.

Data from the questionnaire will be published by the Parliamentary Library as a component of the 2007 Australian Parliamentary Fellow monograph.

Please return this questionnaire in the reply paid envelope that has been supplied.

1. Please indicate the political party of which you are a member (if any):

a) Liberal Party
b) Labor Party
c) National Party
d) Democrats
e) Greens
f) Independent
g) Family First
h) Prefer not to disclose

2. Years of parliamentary service:

a) Under 3 years
b) 3–6 years
c) 6–9 years
d) 9–12 years
e) 12–15
f) Over 15 years

China questions—sources of information

I am interested in determining which sources you use to gain information about the People’s Republic of China and how influential each source is in contributing to your understanding of China and the Australia–China relationship.

3.   Please indicate which sources you access for information about China and the frequency of this access (please circle).

 

Regularly

Sometimes

Rarely

Never

a) The Australian media

1

2

3

4

b) The overseas media

1

2

3

4

c) Academic/ think-tank publications

1

2

3

4

d) Parliamentary committee activity

1

2

3

4

e) Government communication (eg: cables, intelligence, press statements)

1

2

3

4

f) Parliamentary colleagues

1

2

3

4

g) Chinese language materials

1

2

3

4

h) Members of your electorate

1

2

3

4

i) Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade

1

2

3

4

j) Chinese Embassy

1

2

3

4

k) Parliamentary Library

1

2

3

4

l) Your staff

1

2

3

4

m) Internet sites

1

2

3

4

n) Non-government organisations

1

2

3

4

o) Other, please specify: ______________________________

1

2

3

4

China questions—travel to China

4. (a) Have you ever visited the People’s Republic of China (not including the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region)?  

Yes
No             (Please go to question 5)

If YES:

(b) How many times: ________

(c) Did you visit during the term of the current 41st Parliament?  (16 November 2004–present)

Yes
No

(d) If you did visit during the term of the 41st Parliament, in what capacity did you visit? (Please select all that apply)

Personal/private (eg: holiday)
Business/ trade representation
Official;
(Please go to question 4(e))

(e) If you visited in an official capacity, please tick the most appropriate category (if more than one, please select all that apply):

As a member of an official Parliamentary delegation
With a Parliamentary Friendship Group
As a member of a party delegation
Individual study trip
As a guest of the Chinese Government or a Chinese
Government agency

5. (a) Have you ever visited the Republic of China/ Taiwan?

Yes
No (Please go to question 6)

(b) Did you visit the Republic of China/ Taiwan during the term of the 41st Parliament? 

Yes
No

6. Are you a member of any of the following groups?

a) The Australia–China Parliamentary Friendship Group
b) The Australia–Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group
c) The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet

China questions—Chinese language skills

7. Do you have any Chinese language skills? 

Yes
No

8. Do any of your staff have any Chinese language skills? 

Yes
No

China questions—the character of the Australia–China relationship

9. From a historical perspective, please rate how influential you feel each of the following milestones have been in contributing to the character of the current Australia–China relationship (please circle the relevant number for each event):

 

Highly Influential

Moderately Influential

Marginally Influential

Not Influential

Don’t Know

a) The liberalisation of the Chinese economy, from 1978, under Deng Xiaoping

1

2

3

4

5

b) The Whitlam Labor Government’s recognition of China in 1972

1

2

3

4

5

c) The Fraser Government’s bipartisan approach to relations with China

1

2

3

4

5

d) The building of bilateral ties under the Hawke Labor Government

1

2

3

4

5

e) The Tiananmen Square incident of 4 June 1989

1

2

3

4

5

f) Bilateral relations under the Howard Government to date

1

2

3

4

5

g) President Hu Jintao’s address to the Australian Parliament in October 2003

1

2

3

4

5

10. Using the contemporary Australia–China relationship as a starting point, please indicate how influential you feel each of the following will be in determining the future character of the Australia–China relationship? (please circle the relevant number for each item)

 

Highly Influential

Moderately Influential

Marginally Influential

Not Influential

Don’t Know

a) Increasing Australian exports to China

1

2

3

4

5

b) A bilateral or multilateral climate-change agreement with China

1

2

3

4

5

c) A Free Trade Agreement with China

1

2

3

4

5

d) China’s emergence as a stakeholder in global/ regional affairs

1

2

3

4

5

e) China’s role in arms control  negotiations with North Korea 

1

2

3

4

5

f) The rights of Falun Gong practitioners in China

1

2

3

4

5

g) The enforcement of intellectual property rights in China

1

2

3

4

5

h) The character of Chinese diplomacy in the South Pacific

1

2

3

4

5

i) The political status of the Republic of China/ Taiwan

1

2

3

4

5

j) The Australia–United States alliance

1

2

3

4

5

k) The political status of Tibet

1

2

3

4

5

l) Australia’s Human Rights Dialogue with China

1

2

3

4

5

m) China’s demand for energy resources and raw materials

1

2

3

4

5

n) Other(s), please specify: ___________________________

1

2

3

4

5

11. (a) In January 2007 Australia ratified two nuclear safeguard agreements in Beijing. These agreements were signed in preparation for the export of Australian uranium to the People’s Republic. Are you concerned about the export of Australian uranium to China?

Yes
No(Please go to question 12)

(b) If YES, please indicate which, if any, of the following issues reflect your concern (select all that apply)

(i) Effect on nuclear proliferation/ security
(ii) Effect on Australia’s international reputation
(iii) Other (please specify):

______________________________________________________

12.  Do you believe a Free Trade Agreement with China would:

a) Be in Australia’s interests

Yes
No

b) Substantially contribute to Australia’s trade deficit    

Yes
No       

c) Damage Australia’s manufacturing sector

Yes
No          

d) Create jobs and raise Australian living standards

Yes
No        

13. China recently overtook Japan as Australia’s largest trading partner. Given the importance of China to Australia’s economic development, do you feel that:

a) Australia is well-positioned to protect and promote Australian interests in China

Yes
No         

b) Australia has become too reliant upon China for its economic prosperity

Yes
No       

c) Australia’s economic reliance upon China will negatively impact upon Australia’s political dealings with China       

Yes
No            

d) The Howard Government has achieved the right balance between the economic and non-economic aspects of the relationship        

Yes
No

14.  Have you ever received representations from Chinese Government officials about:

a) The political status of Tibet

Yes
No          

b) The activities of Falun Gong practitioners in Australia                    

Yes
No        

c) The rights of workers to collectively organise in China                   

Yes
No       

d) The political status of the Republic of China/Taiwan         

Yes
No    

e) Other domestic political events in China (please specify): _____________________________________________________________

Foreign policy questions

The following questions seek to determine what you believe Australia’s foreign policy priorities to be and the degree to which, you believe, the Opposition and the minor parties can influence Australian foreign policy.

15. Please indicate the importance you attribute to the following interests or values in determining Australia’s foreign policy:

 

Highly Important

Important

Unimportant

a) Trade

1

2

3

b) Advancing democracy

1

2

3

c) Defence and strategic interests

1

2

3

d) Advancing human rights

1

2

3

e) Promoting Australian political ‘values’

1

2

3

f) Strategic alliances with world powers

1

2

3

16. How much influence do you believe the Opposition and the minor parties have on foreign policy?

Substantial
Some
Negligible

17. The Opposition and the minor parties can best influence foreign policy through (select all that you think apply):

Parliamentary debate/ questions;
Policy
Committee work/ reports
The media/ public awareness
Non-government organisations

18. a) Do you believe the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade / Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade can influence Australian foreign policy:

Yes
No (Please go to question 19)

b) If YES, could you please provide an example: _________________________

Constituent matters

19. Members of the House of Representatives only, Senators please go to question 22)

The number of Chinese-born people in any one Australian electorate may be as high as between 10–15%. Are you aware of the percentage of Chinese-Australians in your electorate?

Yes           Could you please provide that percentage: _______%
No

20. Are the Chinese-Australians in your electorate largely (select all that apply):

Australian-born Chinese                                 

Mainland (PRC)-born Chinese
Hong Kong-born Chinese
Ethnic Chinese from Southeast Asia
Don’t know                                                           

21. How does the business community in your electorate consider the economic rise of China?

a)    They view it as a significant opportunity

Yes
No

b)    They worry about competing with Chinese imports

Yes
No

c)     They are concerned about the effect of a FTA with China

Yes
No      

d)    They welcome a FTA with China

Yes
No

22. a) Have your Chinese-Australian constituents raised China-related issues with you?

Yes
No(Please go to question 23)

b) If YES, do the China-related matters raised by your constituents relate to:

Policy
Commerce/ trade
Immigration
Human rights
Education
Other (please specify): ________________________________

23. a) Do you receive representations from individual constituents or organisations about human rights issues in China? 

Yes
No (Please go to question 24)

b) If YES, do these representations relate to any of the following (select all that apply):

(i) Falun Gong practitioners
(ii) Rights of ethnic and religious minorities
(iii) The forced repatriation of North Korean asylum seekers
(iv) Forced abortions and sterilisations
(v) ‘Organ harvesting’
(vi) Other (please specify):

____________________________________________________________

24. Would you like to make any additional comments; do you feel that there are important aspects of the Australia–China relationship that have not been mentioned?

_____________________________________

Thank you for completing the questionnaire—please return the questionnaire in the reply paid envelope that has been supplied.