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DR. BURGMANN

CRITICISES

CHINA POLICY

Australia lias been gravely mistaken in its policy with China, the Anglican Bishop of Canberra-Goulburn ("Dr. E. H. BurgmannV says in,.the August issue of the 'Anglican* Review.

"Had we recognised her new Government when Great Britain did, we might have been able to help her to a seat in,the

United Nations.

"We would have,.had official channels of communication with her, and we would, be on the spot to see and seize, any oppor- tunity to keep our'lines with China open. ' I

"Our absence means- that China* is left to lead the whole of Eastern and perhaps South Eastern Asia into the Russian sphere of influence without any Pacific voice being ' heard in China. We have made it clear to China that Russia is her only friqnd and that we are satisfied1 to have it so." ' -

Dr. Burgmann continued that with China a member of the U.N., there would 'be a better chance to deal with the Korean problem than by the ''seeming farcical negotiations" going -on at present.

"For Australians the most urgent need is ? to get our thought clear, and our actions right in our relations with our Asian neighbours.

"It cannot be-too bften stress- ed that geographically we belong to Asia. We shall soon 'be very near neighbours.

"It is utter folly'to think that in Australia we can have a se- cure and useful future on the basis of fear and suspicion of these neighbours.

"Neither" can we make our- selves secure by military means. Military preparations at the moment are no doubt inescap- able because of our obligations to our allies and also in our own

interests, but if we are led to

trust over much in them for se curity we shall make a disaster

ous mistake.

"The problem is primarily political in the largest sense, and is far too serious to be regarded as a matter of purty.

"We are not free to do just as we wish in foreign relations. We ave in the American orbit of power, and we ' are th many ways fortunate to be there. If it came to war we cannot de- fend ourselves, and we know it, Apart from U.S., we would probably be a colony"of Japan. ?But while all this fts,-true I hope we -arc allies and «nbi,. colonists of the U.S. ' '?**« ? '' -

"As allies we should-contrib ute. to making Asia ni internation- al policy in a real way. We are very close to Chipa, and the U.S. is a long way away. For the U.S. it is a matter of interna- tional politics, for us a matter

of life and death.

"The U.S. can make mistakes and recover from them; for us mistakes might be fatal.

"It is clear that unless we find the way to friendship -with China a friendship based on truth and freedom in which there is

riulual rcf.;3C(.'* and no iv!r we ii ?shall never know , any security I and (peace will continue to be ne far distant dream,"' [k

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