The Greens say that instead of touring a clean-coal project, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd should have visited one of the world’s largest solar power plants in China, which is headed by a man who was educated in Australia.

Greens Senator Christine Milne says Mr Rudd should have made a symbolic gesture and visited the Suntech solar power plant.

“It would have sent a big signal to the renewable energy sector in Australia and to the education sector in Australia that this Government is prepared to invest in the knowledge economy around solar radiation,” she said.

By not making time to visit the solar plant, Rudd is clearly giving strong signals that he is locked into coal.