Documents show a country under Kevin Rudd pulled in different directions by the US, China and Japan

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

Senior Australian officials privately criticised China for its "lack of ambition" in cutting emissions, floated the idea of importing its nuclear reactors and desperately attempted to dampen tension with Japan over the controversial issue of whaling, secret diplomatic cables have revealed.

In an intriguing insight into the stated aim of Australian "middle power diplomacy" by the then prime minister, Kevin Rudd, the tranche of cables show a country pulled in different directions by the US, China and Japan on environmental issues.

The cables from the US embassy in Canberra, released by WikiLeaks, show that Rudd was keen to stress his pro-American credentials, given his background as a Mandarin-speaking former Beijing diplomat.

At a December 2007 meeting, Rudd told the US ambassador he was not "starry-eyed towards China" and that his government would not give the US "any grief" over reducing its carbon emissions.

This was followed by another cable sent a month later, in which the US embassy noted Rudd's efforts to act as an "intermediary" between China and the west on climate change, adding that the prime minister wasn't a "panda hugger".

However, the cable also highlights areas of division, citing Rudd's immediate signing of the Kyoto protocol, unlike the US, after taking power. The prime minister, the cable states, will take a more "independent" stance on US-Australia relations, pulling back from predecessor John Howard's "unquestioning cheer squad" approach.

Australia has also had a complicated relationship with China when it comes to environmental matters, the leaked cables suggest.

A March 2005 cable describes talks between Chinese officials and John Carlson, director general of the Australian Safeguards and Nonproliferation Office.

Carlson said there was an "agreement for co-operation" for uranium sales to China, with Australia sending 80% of its annual 10,000 tonne export cargo to the country. China said it needed the uranium to boost its production of nuclear power from 2% of overall energy production to 4% by 2020.

However, Carlsson pointed out that the Chinese officials were a "bit coy" when asked whether they were using enriched uranium to make missiles.

Carlsson ruminated that Howard-era Australia "might some day" import nuclear reactors from China, although the cable stresses that this would require the "Australian Labor party, Greens and the general Australian public drop their opposition to nuclear energy in the meantime."

This revelation may cause disquiet in Australia, which has consistently vocalised bipartisan opposition to nuclear power, despite having the largest deposits of uranium in the world.

By January 2010, with Rudd in power, Australia's relationship with China appeared to be on rockier ground.

In the wake of the disastrous Copenhagen climate change talks, Martin Parkinson, secretary of Australia's Department of Climate Change, "expressed concern to Chinese diplomats over the lack of ambition" in China's stated goal of a 40-45% reduction in carbon intensity by 2020.

Parkinson said that Rudd had a "concrete action plan" to address the deficiencies of the Danish summit, but that "China would only do what it saw in its own interest, so demonstrating that early action would be in China's own best interest is critical."

Parkinson warned that Chinese failure to include its carbon pledge in the Copenhagen accord would "seriously jeopardise" Australia's own emissions trading scheme (ETS).

Ultimately, China did commit to the goal, but the ETS didn't materialise anyway.

The failure to pass the legislation was a significant factor in the downfall of Rudd, who was replaced as prime minister by his deputy, Julia Gillard, in June last year. He has since returned to the government front benches as foreign minister.

It is perhaps surprising that Australia attacked China for a lack of ambition over emissions targets when it has itself committed to a mere 5% cut on 2000 levels by 2020. Doubts have been raised that even this modest goal will be achieved.

Caught between the competing interests of traditional ally, the US, and regional superpower, China, Australia has also managed to clash with its second largest trading partner – Japan.

A leaked cable from May 2008 shows the frantic attempts made by the then foreign minister Stephen Smith to smooth the relationship with Tokyo over Japan's whaling activities in the Southern Ocean.

Whaling is highly controversial in Australia, although Japan maintains its activities are legal due to the "scientific" nature of the hunts.

Smith, anxious over the potential damage to trade agreements, backed down from a previous threat to refer Japan's continued whaling to the International Court of Justice, according to the cable.

A separate October 2008 cable highlights the Australian government's concern over the issue, with the cabinet divided over whether legal action was preferable or even likely to succeed.

The repeated harassment of Japanese whaling boats by the conservationist Sea Shepherd vessel saw the Australian government take a "low key" approach to " prevent a diplomatic escalation to match that taking place at sea", a cable from February 2009 reveals.

However, a harder line was adopted by Australia following the sinking of the Ady Gil, a speedboat used by Sea Shepherd.

The Ady Gil was sliced in half after a collision with a Japanese whaling vessel in January 2010, with both sides blaming each other for the incident.

A US diplomatic cable correctly predicted that Japan would "come away clean" from the resulting inquiry, although Japanese officials told the US embassy that they considered legal action over whaling "inevitable" after Rudd demanded an end to the practice.

Japan subsequently suspended its Antarctic whaling activities, although Australia is still pushing for a permanent end to the hunts.

The leaked cables also shine a light on a domestic environmental controversy that is currently dogging the beleaguered Labor government.

Two companies involved in the construction of a contentious A$35bn liquefied natural gas hub in an untouched area of Western Australia claim that the government gave them no option but to use the site.

A December 2009 cable reveals complaints by Chevron and BHP that "unprecedented interference" by government officials meant that they had to go along with project leader Woodside and develop on the Kimberley coastline.

Environmental groups claim the LNG plant will ruin an area that contains one of the world's longest trails of dinosaur footprints, as well as pollute the Kimberley coast, endangering rare communities of humpback whales, snubnosed dolphins and sea turtles.

Last week, federal resources minister Tony Burke announced that he will add 20m hectares of the Kimberley to the national heritage list, with the caveat that development such as the LNG plant will be allowed to continue, a position that has enraged conservationists.