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Ambassador Xiao Qian’s Remarks at the Reception in Celebration of the 10th Anniversary of President Xi Jinping's Visit to Tasmania and the Establishment of China-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
(30 October 2024, Wrest Point Hotel, Tasmania)
The Honorable Jeremy Rockliff MP, Premier of Tasmania,
Friends from all walks of life in Tasmania,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good evening! It’s my great pleasure to attend this reception celebrating the 10th anniversary of President Xi Jinping's visit to Tasmania and the establishment of China-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This is my second visit to this beautiful state, and I am impressed by the deepening ties and amity between China and Tasmania. I would like to take this opportunity, to extend my respect and sincere gratitude to all the friends who have long been caring about and supporting China-Australia relations, in particular the exchanges and cooperation between China and Tasmania .
Ten years ago, President Xi Jinping paid a historic state visit to Australia, which led to the elevation of China-Australia relations to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. President Xi’s visit was highlighted by his itinerary in Tasmania, which made him one of the few foreign leaders who have visited all states and territories in Australia, and he was titled “the Chinese leader who knows Australia best” by Australian media. During this landmark trip, President Xi met with the former acting governor Alan Blow and Premier Will Hodgman, visited the family of the late former Premier Jim Bacon, visited the Chinese research vessel Xuelong docking at Hobart Harbour and met the Chinese and Australian scientists. He also planted a magnolia tree as the symbol of friendship, together with the children from Scotch Oakburn College in Launceston, and patted mascot of the state, the Tasmanian devils.
President Xi's visit is a successful story of China-Tasmania friendship, and promoted mutually beneficial exchanges and cooperation between the two sides greatly . Now, China remains Tasmania's largest trading partner, and Tasmanian high quality products such as salmon, cherries are widely welcomed by Chinese consumers. In the year ending August 2024, Tasmania's exports to China accounted for 31% of its total amount. 5,500 jobs were created for Tasmanians in the 2022-2023 fiscal year as a result of trade with China.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
China-Tasmania relations are important parts of China-Australia relations, and the sound and stable China-Australia relations are solid foundation for China-Tasmania exchanges and cooperation. Since the establishment of the China-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the relationship between the two countries has maintained dynamic and resilient in general. Since 2022, President Xi and Prime Minister Albanese have met twice to hold in-depth strategic communications on issues of strategic and overarching importance that bear on the direction and long-term growth of China-Australia relations, which provide strategic guidance for sustained improvement and advancement of bilateral ties. PM Albanese visited China successfully in November last year, and Premier Li Qiang paid a successful visit to Australia in June this year. The two Prime Ministers held constructive exchanges again on the sidelines of this year's East Asia Summit. Bilateral dialogues in various fields have been resumed, with deepening mutual trust and improving cooperation dominating our bilateral relations.
Since the establishment of China-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, our economic and trade cooperation has reached a new level, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples. Bilateral trade in goods has grown by 67.4 percent. China has been Australia's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years since 2009. Australia's goods trade surplus with China has increased from $8.58 billion in 2015 to $62.7 billion in 2023, which is close to 75 percent of Australia's goods trade surplus with the world, and the average annual growth rate has reached 70 percent. In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, trade with China enabled Australian households to save 4.2 percent of the cost of living and create nearly 600,000 jobs for Australia.
Nowadays, China-Australia practical cooperation is gaining momentum. Both sides are gradually resolving trade concerns, and Australian products like beef, wine, etc. have returned to Chinese market. China has become one of Australia's largest sources of new energy vehicles, and China-Australia solar energy technology cooperation have become a model case within international green energy cause. Exchanges in tourism, education, and other service industries between the two countries remain vibrant. More and more cultural and educational exchange programs have strengthened the bonds between our two peoples.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
The year 2024 is not only the “big year” for China-Australia relations, but also the milestone of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. China is celebrating its 75th anniversary, and the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has been held successfully. By now, the fundamentals of China's economy and favorable conditions such as a vast market, strong economic resilience and great potential remain unchanged. Meanwhile, faced with the new circumstances and challenges in the current economic development, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has united and led the people of all ethnic groups to overcome difficulties and respond calmly. We take measures including intensifying macroeconomic controls, focusing on deepening reform and opening up, expanding domestic demand, and optimizing the economic structure. China's economy has thus been stable in general, as well as steady and progressive, with new-quality productive forces developing steadily and the high-quality development advancing solidly. China's economy speaks for it self with healthy and sustainable development. No matter in the past, present or future, China has always been the stable powerhouse for world economy. China's high-quality development provides critical strategic opportunities for all countries, including Australia.
At this new historic starting point, our two countries should join efforts in the same direction, follow the guidance of our leaders’ strategic consensus and the statement on joint outcomes of the Australia-China Annual Leaders’ Meeting, and work together to build a more mature, stable, and fruitful Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
——Adhere to the right way to get along, treating each other as equals, seeking common ground while shelving differences and conducting mutually beneficial cooperation, handle our differences in a mature, objective, rational and prudent manner, maintaining and developing the positive momentum of the stable and improving bilateral relationship, to ensure that our bilateral relations move forward on the right course of stabilizing and improving with positive momentum without interruptions or losing direction.
——Continue to enrich and expand mutual benefits and win-win cooperation. Strengthen traditional cooperation in trade, energy, and mining, meanwhile capitalize on the complementary advantages between our two countries in fields of climate change, energy transition, innovation, as well as the stability of supply and production chains, and similar goals when it comes to China’s policy of developing new quality productive forces and "Future Made in Australia", explore cooperation opportunities in emerging fields such as green development, digital economy, technological innovation, and the healthcare industry.
——Enhance the peoples’ recognition of China and Australia as partners and friends. According to a recent opinion poll, nearly two-thirds of Australian citizens agree that Australia should build a closer relationship with China. This figure is encouraging, but also indicates there’s still much room for improvement in people-to-people exchanges. The two countries should continue to deepen friendly interactions in the fields of education, culture, sports and tourism, and implement new measures to support the facilitation of people mobility, to enhance our mutual understandings and ensure the torch of China-Australia friendship could be passed down through generations.
Ladies and gentlemen,dear friends,
I am very pleased to hear that in a few days, Premier Rockliff will depart for Shanghai, Fujian and Hong Kong. This visit is surely a new impetus to China-Tasmania exchanges and cooperation in the new era. It is my sincere hope Tasmanian friends from all walks of life could seize the historic opportunity of the development of our bilateral relations, send out more favorable and positive voices on our bilateral relations, and inject more energy to the solid and sustained progress of our bilateral relations.
Thank you.
