On the afternoon of November 15, the China-Australia High-Quality Development Economic Cooperation Forum was successfully held in Sydney, Australia. The event was jointly organized by the China Chamber of Commerce in Australia (CCCA) and the Australia-China Business Council. Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao and Australian Trade Minister Farrell delivered video speeches. Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian attended and delivered a speech. More than 200 representatives from the Chinese and Australian political and business area attended, including Mr. Michael Heilemann, Head of the Asia Region of the Austrade Commission, Mr. Shen Wen, Chairman of the Australia China Business Council, Li Mang, Executive President of the CCCA and President of the Sydney Branch of the Bank of China, and Ms. Zhi Qiaoling, Chairman of the New South Wales Branch of the Australia China Business Council.
Minister Wang Wentao stressed in his video speech that openness is a distinctive feature of China’s modernization, and China firmly pursues a mutually beneficial and win-win opening-up strategy. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee made systematic arrangements for improving the institutional mechanisms for high-level opening-up, sending a clear signal of expanding high-level opening-up. China will continue to expand the depth and breadth of opening-up, continuously optimize the business environment, and share development opportunities and dividends with countries around the world, including Australia.
Minister Farrell said in his speech that he was pleased to see a series of positive results brought about by the hard work of the Albanese Labor Government in stabilizing China-Australia relations over the past period of time. The cooperation and progress between Australia and China so far are encouraging. This forum provides a good opportunity to deepen the economic and trade relations between the two countries and explore new cooperation opportunities for the business communities of the two countries. I wish the forum a complete success.
Ambassador Xiao Qian stressed in his speech that the China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership is rich in content and of great significance. It has opened up high-level cooperation between the two countries in a wide range of fields, at multiple levels and in all directions, and is of decisive significance for the stable development of China-Australia relations. During his visit to Australia, President Xi Jinping announced the substantive conclusion of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement negotiations, which greatly improved the level of bilateral trade liberalization, pushed the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries onto the fast track, and benefited the people of both countries. In the past two years, under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, China-Australia relations have returned to the right track of development. We look forward to the joint efforts of the business communities of both sides to tap the potential for cooperation in traditional and emerging fields, and contribute to the further development of China-Australia relations on the basis of stability and improvement.
Li Mang said that the past decade is an important stage for laying a solid foundation and creating many achievements. In the past decade, the solid foundation of China-Australia relations has made a significant contribution to building a fruitful and constructive partnership and brought tangible benefits to the people of both countries. The economies of China and Australia are highly complementary, making us natural partners. Over the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the two sides have maintained frequent exchanges and continuously deepened pragmatic cooperation. This partnership has played a key role in the continued economic prosperity of the two countries.
During the forum, Chinese and Australian companies interacted with each other in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Business representatives had in-depth exchanges on cooperation in traditional and emerging fields between the two countries. The Chinese and Australian business communities look forward to further consolidating the foundation of cooperation in traditional fields, exploring cooperation potential, expanding and deepening economic and trade cooperation in emerging fields, and jointly promoting the steady and long-term development of bilateral economic and trade relations.
