LECTURE: �China: Watching a Giant Grow (Thoughts of an Old China Hand)�

Profile:

David Irvine was Australian Ambassador to China between 2000 and 2003 the fifth in an unbroken line of six Western Australians to hold that important diplomatic post.

After a delightfully easy introduction to traditional diplomatic life on his first posting in one of the key centres of Western civilisation, Rome, Irvine’s career took a major turn to the East, with a focus on countries of more direct strategic and regional importance to Australia.

He served twice in the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, developing a keen interest in Indonesian language and culture. As a result of those experiences, he has published two books on aspects of Indonesian culture. Bisma, Warrior-Priest of the Mahabharata’ (1990) is a translation from the Indonesian of interpretations of the great Hindu epic. ‘Leather Gods and Wooden Heroes (1996) is an introduction to the leather shadow puppets and three-dimensional stick puppets of traditional Javanese theatre.

Between postings in Jakarta, Irvine spent time studying Chinese before being posted to Hong Kong and Beijing in the early 1980s, as China was emerging from the chaos of the Cultural revolution and during the first phase of Chinas reform and opening up policy implemented by Deng Xiaoping. It was during that period that Australia’s relations with China began to take off on the relatively short journey that has seen China become Australia’s third largest merchandise export market within just two decades.

After five years in Canberra handling North and East Asian affairs, including close involvement with the Cambodia settlement and managing Australia’s relations with North Asia, Irvine was posted as Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea from 1996-1999.

On return from PNG, after a short period of refresher training in the Chinese language, Mr Irvine took up his position as Australian Ambassador in Beijing. By 2000, after twenty years averaging double digit growth, China had established itself as the major engine of economic growth for the Asia Pacific region and as a dynamic trading partner for Australia. The prospects for Australia and China economic relations to continue to develop remain very bright indeed.

While Ambassador in Beijing, Mr Irvine also served concurrently as Ambassador to Mongolia and to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (2000-2003), re-opening the diplomatic relationship with North Korea that had fallen into abeyance twenty-five years earlier.

In a remarkable change of direction (and of career), Mr Irvine was appointed by the Governor-General to be Head of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service with effect from 1 March 2003 for a period of five years.

The lecture is convened by Professor Paige Porter, Dean of International Relations, and presented by the University of Western Australia through its Institute of Advanced Studies with the support of the China Centre Working Party.

The location of the venue can be viewed on the web at:

http://maps.uwa.edu.au/crawley/display/8