The Prime Minister knows the language but something is being lost in the translation, writes Michelle Grattan.

Kevin Rudd might wonder at the irony. He prides himself on being such a China expert, the Mandarin speaker who's studied the country since his youth and served there as a diplomat. You wouldn't find too many leaders to match his knowledge. And yet things Chinese have been giving him grief.

Moreover, he comes under fire every which way. He's attacked for being too pro-China but sometimes the criticism comes from the other direction. His latest problem has been some arrows from Beijing before the release of the long-awaited Defence White Paper, which was launched yesterday and reflects a complex and wary view of China and the need for Australia's defence planning to be prepared for all eventualities

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/rudd-feels-the-heat-over-china-syndrome-20090503-aqzf.html