Canberra seeks to shore up China ties

       Australia tried to halt a slide in ties with China yesterday by denying support for autonomy for the restive Chinese region of Xinjiang as Beijing media accused the country of leading an "anti-China chorus".
       Relations have soured over the granting of an Australian visa to Rebiya Kadeer,the exiled leader of China's Muslim Uighur minority in far western Xinjiang,and the arrest of an Australian Rio Tinto mining executive and three other Rio staff on allegations of espionage.
       China is Australia's biggest export market, with two-way trade worth A$53 billion (1.5 trillion baht) last year.
       Major Australian exports in 2008 included iron ore, wool, copper ore and manganese.
       Foreign Minister Stephen Smith told parliament that allowing Ms Kadeer to visit Australia did not mean support for her views on Uighur autonomy.
       "We have a long-standing position to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the western provinces so far as China is concerned," Mr Smith said.
       Rio, which has said the four detained staff have done nothing wrong, also moved to soothe tensions, saying the company was committed to building a stronger relationship with China.
       "We will respect the Chinese legal process," chairman Jan du Plessis said.
       Rio chief executive Tom Albanese said the four Rio staff remained in good health.
       "Our first priority is our duty of care to them and their families and we do not want to say anything or do anything that can negatively affect them," he said.
       China, which considers political stability a top priority, blames Ms Kadeer for instigating ethnic riots in Xinjiang earlier this year when Uighurs attacked Han Chinese, a charge she has denied.
       It criticised Australia's decision to give Ms Kadeer a visa and cancelled a highlevel diplomatic visit in protest.
       Yesterday, the China Daily , the Communist Party's official English-language paper, said Australia's "Sino-phobic politicians" were leading the world's "anti-China chorus" and siding with Ms Kadeer.
       "By providing Kadeer a platform for anti-Chinese separatist activities, Canberra chose to side with a terrorist and severely hurt China's national interests."
       Australia's ambassador to China returned home for consultations yesterday, but Canberra denied it signalled a protest.
       "He hasn't been rushed back to Canberra. He comes back on a regular basis,"Mr Smith told national radio.
       Mr Smith said Canberra was working through its differences with Beijing methodically, including the arrest of Australian Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu.