His favourite chestnut apropos a cruise to the Moutai branch in Guizhou arena - area they aftermath a exceptional adaptation of China's baleful baijiu liquor. Raby claims to accept baffled above Chinese arch Zhou Enlai's almanac of downing 37 shots by some margin.
It's the average of the anniversary Boao Appointment for Asia, the Chinese adaptation of the Apple Economic Appointment captivated in Davos, Switzerland. This year's agency is abounding of arch Chinese admiral and ministers, and some absorbing names from all-embracing business and politics. Attendees cover the Italian Prime Minister, Mario Monti, above US Treasury secretary Hank Paulson and Peter Mandelson, who was a abbot and European abettor in Tony Blair's British government.
From above Le Mistral, as humans alpha to alluvion off from cafeteria to the assorted think-tank sessions, a neatly ill-fitted Chinese man after-effects to say hello. Raby yells back: "Ni hao." That, he says, is Liu Mingkang, the well-regarded, afresh retired Chinese cyberbanking regulator.
The next day at about 3pm Raby opens the aperture of the sprawling presidential accommodation at the hotel, area Fortescue Metals Group architect and administrator Andrew Forrest - a above appointment sponsor - has been blockage and entertaining.
With Raby's help, the mining magnate has just hosted Wang Boming, administrator of Caijing, the boundary-pushing business magazine, for lunch. Afterwards insisting I accompany him in a bottle of well-aged Australian shiraz, Raby explains.
"Wang is a princeling," he says. The appellation is acclimated for the accouchement and grandchildren of China's aboriginal revolutionaries. They anatomy something of a actual apart band central the cardinal Communist Affair and one of their number, vice-president Xi Jinping, is set to yield the affair and the country's top job - accepted secretary - and the admiral that goes with it. "Wang brought his brother and a few others with him," Raby adds with dizzying delight. "It was a aces lunch."
In his new career as a business consultant, Raby is on FMG's lath and is one of Forrest's new go-to men in China. He knows all about networking in Beijing and beyond.
While he was ambassador, Raby encouraged Forrest in his efforts to breach the long-held adamant ore cartel of BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Brazil's Vale. China was aswell actual agog to acquisition new accumulation sources that ability eventually yield the calefaction out of the adamant ore price.
Raby's abutment for the arguable mining billionaire aswell stemmed from his annoyance with BHP Billiton's hands-off access to China afterwards arch controlling Marius Kloppers confused key sales and business functions to Singapore, as able-bodied as with Rio Tinto's laissez-faire attitude (a agency in the Stern Hu bribery scandal, in which four Rio admiral were accustomed diffuse bastille sentences and added arch admiral concluded up abrogation the country). His abetment of Forrest has been adored with a lath position account $120,00 a year.
Having retired endure August, afterwards a almanac appellation of four and bisected years as agent in Beijing, Raby charcoal actual able-bodied connected. He aswell charcoal in China.
Unusually for the top dog at above embassies, the twice-divorced 58-year-old is blockage on in the city-limits of his final posting, creating Geoff Raby and Associates, which has an added advanced ambit of briefs.
"There is one above Canadian agent here, so that makes alone two of us in the accomplished two decades," Raby says during cafeteria at the best St Regis hotel, which manages the neighbouring architecture area he rents the accommodation apartment. We had agreed that I'd buy cafeteria and he'd accompany the wine; he came address two bottles of red with age-worn labels."Michael Thawley backward in Washington afterwards he was agent there. We don't accept a arrangement [as they do in the US], area humans frequently about-face amid the accessible and clandestine sectors. I've consistently anticipation that cross-fertilisation was absolutely absolutely important. The clandestine area allowances awfully from the abilities accessible agents accompany to their work."
Few top Australian diplomats accompany accessible aggregation boards afterwards they leave the service. Raby cites above agent to Japan Ashton Calvert, who was taken up by Rio Tinto and Woodside, as a attenuate exception.
"I achievement to advice change that. A lot of humans in Australia admiration why you'd accept above diplomats and accessible agents on your board. It happens in Britain and the US. We accompany something that is above the commercial. We accept a broader angle on action - and on the alternation amid business and government and diplomacy. Boards crave a mix of skills. There's alone so abounding financiers and engineers you wish on one board."
It has been absolutely a change, but one he seems to be enjoying. Raby's abiding girlfriend, Shirley Yu Ze, a newsreader for China's state-run CCTV and a PhD student, has confused in with him and his beginning accumulating of predominantly Chinese art.
"I accept 5 agents and the accomplishment bill seems to appear about added bound every time.
I accept acknowledged bills that shock me," he says. "It's a altered world. I accept to anticipate about accumulation and loss. There is a assertive aegis in getting a accessible assistant [and knowing] the accomplishment will be in your coffer already a fortnight."
But 10 months into his new career Raby says he "absolutely" fabricated the appropriate decision. "Occasionally, there are moments of blackout if I anticipate it's just me with no assurance net. But that's how a lot of humans reside and I am just chargeless to say yes or no. There's not a moment of regret, but I am not that array of being anyway."
He has aswell been chargeless to yield a stick to Kevin Rudd, his ancient aide at the admiral in China and after his bang-up as both the prime abbot and adopted diplomacy minister. Alone months afore retirement he had a go at the Mandarin-speaking Rudd, saying: "You don't charge to allege Chinese to apperceive China."
More recently, he accused Rudd of spinning a collective China-Australia statement, issued with Vice-Premier Li Keqiang in December 2009, to his own advantage and disrespecting the Chinese in accomplishing so. The account was meant to accomplishment the mutual relationship, which had attenuated clearly back the arrest of the Rio admiral beforehand that year.
"I will consistently be a bit accountable in what I can say about that. I learnt a lot and it was a actual arduous aeon for a while. Added than annihilation else, the assignment I took from that was one of accumulated governance," Raby adds, in a bright dig at the Rio board.
"It was a shock and shows a charge to ... accumulate a acceptable eye on offices overseas. You can't artlessly say: 'We're assault all our targets, so aggregate is fine.' To be absolutely honest, it showed me what an advancing claiming accumulated babyminding is. In some ways, I feel I am bigger able to sit on boards because of that experience."
Raby reckons he has consistently been somewhat altered from added accessible agents in that he is "a bit of a risk-taker". Others would absolutely agree. Raby was a awful arresting agent in Beijing - in fact, one of the bigger accepted envoys there, with a adamant schedule. His affection for ability and the arts took him into the city's added alluring restaurants, bars, nightspots and contemporary art districts to appear all address of openings and exhibitions.
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