“During the campaign Mr Rudd, who speaks fluent Mandarin and has lived in China...”
I will bet you Rudd’s “fluency” in Mandarin is like George’s “fluency” in Spanish…nada, zip, nothing.
You may be right.
No, Rudd is genuinely fluent in Mandarin - very fluent.
During the APEC summit, he made a speech in Mandarin to the Chinese delegation, and was widely lauded by the media for doing so.
Some of us think an Australian politician in Australia should make his speeches so we can understand them. Saying a few words of welcome if you happen to know the language - fine. A whole speech annoyed some people.