Recently, the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concluded successfully in Beijing. This important Congress, which attracted worldwide attention, took place at a critical time as China embarks on a new journey to build a modern socialist country in all respects and advances toward the Second Centenary Goal (by 2049, the centenary of the People’s Republic of China, build a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious). The Congress has far-reaching influence on China’s development and holds special significance for the world’s future.

1. The most important outcome of the Congress is that a new CPC central leadership with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has been elected. Over the past decade, China has achieved its First Centenary Goal (by 2021, the centenary of the CPC, build a moderately prosperous society in all respects), eliminated absolute poverty for the first time in its history of thousands of years, and successfully entered a moderately prosperous society. Nothing speaks louder than this—the CPC is a party that serves the people wholeheartedly, and respects and protects human rights. The fact that Comrade Xi Jinping has been elected as a member of the new CPC Central Committee and its General Secretary both by a unanimous vote fully demonstrates that his re-election is a result of the common aspiration of the people. After the 20th National Congress, the general policies of the CPC and the Chinese Government will maintain a high degree of consistency and stability. We are confident that we will continue to write a new chapter of striving for sustainable development in solidarity.

2. The Congress has identified China’s future development goals and development path. From this day forward, our central task is to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. Chinese modernization is characterized by features unique to the Chinese context. The highlighted requirements include pursuing high-quality development, developing whole-process people’s democracy, enriching the people’s cultural lives, achieving common prosperity for all, promoting harmony between humanity and nature, building a community with a shared future for mankind, and creating a new form of human advancement. Particularly, achieving modernization for more than 1.4 billion people, a number larger than the combined population of all developed countries in the world today will be a major feat with far-reaching significance in human history. It is fair to say that in the new era, China will influence the world in a profound and positive way. We will continue to build sound relations with countries in the world, engage in friendly cooperation, and share win-win results. China’s long-term sound economic growth fundamentals will not change, and China will open its door wider to the world. I believe the Chinese economy, which boasts strong resilience and great potential, will surely bring important opportunities and strong impetus to Australia and other countries in the world.

3. The 20th CPC National Congress has reaffirmed China’s commitment to maintaining world peace and promoting common development. Today, our world, our times, and history are changing in ways like never before, posing unprecedented challenges for human society. The Report to the Congress has pointed out that the future course of humanity should be decided by all the world’s peoples. As long as all countries pursue the cause of the common good, we can live in harmony and engage in cooperation for mutual benefit. In recent years, China has put forward a series of proposals, such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Security Initiative, which calls on the international community to bring more stability and certainty to our turbulent times. These are important global public goods provided by China and widely supported by the international community. This Congress also agreed to include in the CPC Constitution statements on holding dear humanity’s shared values and advancing the building of an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity. China’s role as a responsible major country is gaining more recognition.

4. The 20th CPC National Congress has also brought new opportunities for further developing China-Australia relations. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Australia and China. After all the ups and downs of the past half-century, our relationship has become more mature, stable, and resilient. Our friendship and mutual trust have deepened, and our practical cooperation has never been closer. China is Australia’s largest trading partner in goods. Our bilateral trade volume from January to September this year reached 207.6 billion AUD. Australia's current trade surplus with China is 45.6 billion AUD. Our cooperation in areas such as culture, education, science, and technology has achieved fruitful results as well. Standing at a new historical starting point, China’s new journey will bring new development, and China’s new development will create new opportunities for the bilateral relations. Recently, Chinese President Xi Jinping had a successful meeting with Australian Prime Minister Albanese on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, charting the course for the overall development of China-Australia relations. China is ready to work with Australia to build on past achievements, look ahead to the future, uphold the principle of mutual respect and mutual benefit, and further advance the China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership. Together we can make more positive contributions to addressing global challenges, and bring greater benefits to our two countries and the people throughout the world.