JULIA GILLARD will raise human rights issues during her inaugural prime ministerial visit to China next week but, unlike Kevin Rudd, will confine her concerns to private conversations.
Speaking to the Herald yesterday on the eve of her departure for Asia and then to London for the royal wedding, the Prime Minister said her talks with the President, Hu Jintao, and the Premier, Wen Jiabao, would be ''broad and comprehensive''.
''We regularly raise human rights and in a broad set of discussions I will raise human rights,'' she said.
These concerns would include China's treatment of its citizens, the case of the jailed Rio Tinto executive, Stern Hu, and Tibet.
''The Australian position on this is well known,'' Ms Gillard said of Tibet. ''We recognise Chinese sovereignty but we express concerns about human rights.''
When Mr Rudd visited China in 2008, he caused a stir by admonishing China over Tibet in a public lecture.
Ms Gillard has modelled her approach to China on that of the former prime minister John Howard, who kept human rights and business interests separate.
''What I bring to it is a practical and forthright understanding of the importance to Australia of having a constructive, comprehensive engagement with China,'' she said.
Ms Gillard will visit Japan, followed by South Korea and then China. The countries are three of Australia's top four export destinations, along with the US.
When Mr Rudd first went abroad as prime minister, he went to China but not to Japan, which offended Tokyo.
Ms Gillard said that by visiting all three countries on her first foray into Asia, she was hoping to show that Australia was not playing favourites.
Australia is in the throes of negotiating free-trade agreements with all three Asian nations. While the South Korean agreement is expected to be signed by the end of this year, momentum has stalled in China and Ms Gillard will be seeking to get that going again.
Progress on the Japanese agreement has also stalled, but business will take a back seat on the trip, which will focus on Ms Gillard expressing support after the earthquake and tsunami last month.
Ms Gillard's visit to China is the first by an Australian prime minster since Mr Rudd's in 2008.
Although the relationship between her and Mr Rudd is strained, Ms Gillard and the Foreign Affairs Minster discussed the trip during their regular Monday meeting.
Like Mr Howard, Ms Gillard said it is possible to have strong relationships with both the US and China, even though there is a level of mistrust between the two superpowers.
