Adhere to Mutual Benefit and Win-win Cooperation to Promote the Steady and Sustainable Development of China-Australia Relations

2024-06-14 13:42

    At the invitation of Australian Prime Minister Albanese, H.E. Mr. Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of China, will pay an official visit to Australia and hold the 9th round of the China-Australia Annual Leaders’ Meeting with Prime Minister Albanese. This is the first visit to Australia by China’s Premier in the past seven years. It coincides with the 10th anniversary of President Xi Jinping's successful state visit to Australia and the establishment of China-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and is of great significance for the two countries to reflect on past achievements and look into the future. During the visit, Premier Li Qiang will hold important talks and meetings with Australian leaders, attend commercial, cultural and other related activities, and meet with Chinese and Australian business people. This visit is rich in content and has profound significance, which will inject new impetus into the development of bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields, and drive the steady and sustainable development of the China-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

    China-Australia relations have gone through ups and downs, but have always maintained strong vitality and resilience. The most important lesson we can learn from the past is to stay committed to mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations more than 50 years ago, China and Australia have maintained frequent exchanges in various fields and at all levels to constantly enhance friendship and mutual trust and deepen practical cooperation. China has remained Australia's largest trading partner, export market and source of import for 15 consecutive years. China-Australia cooperation has not only helped China's modernization construction, but also greatly boosted Australia's own economic prosperity. Since the bilateral relations were upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2014, practical cooperation in various fields has developed rapidly, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples. In the past decade, trade in goods between China and Australia has nearly doubled (98.2%), with an average annual growth rate of 10.9 percent. Bilateral cooperation in mining, agriculture, culture, education, science and technology, tourism and other fields has also yielded fruitful outcomes. In November 2022 and November 2023, President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister Albanese in Bali, Indonesia and Beijing, China respectively. Both leaders reached important consensus on the stable improvement of bilateral relations, charting the course for the future development of China-Australia relations. With the joint efforts of both sides, the bilateral relations have broken the ice, stabilized, and embarked on the right path of continuous improvement. The exchanges and cooperation in various fields gradually resumed, and both sides have adopted a more proactive attitude to resolve differences. In 2023, China-Australia trade volume grew against headwinds to reach 229.2 billion U.S. dollars. Nearly 80 percent of Australia's trade surplus came from trade with China, and its investment in China grew rapidly. China and Australia also share common goals and complementary advantages in addressing climate change, promoting energy transition, and developing innovation and digital economy. Australian logs, barley, beef, oaten hay and other products have returned to the Chinese market, and China and Australia have reached consensus and properly resolved disputes on wine and wind towers at the WTO.

    China and Australia are both major countries in the Asia-Pacific region. We have both common interests and differences, but we should not let the latter define our relations. As long as we uphold the original aspiration of establishing diplomatic ties, stick to the right way of getting along with each other and firmly implement the strategic consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, China-Australia relations can and should grow well. We should maintain and consolidate the current sound momentum, properly handle differences and focus on a positive agenda to comprehensively promote China-Australia friendly cooperation in all fields, so as to achieve win-win cooperation and make our relations steadier, smoother and further developed.

    As the Chinese saying goes, true friendship exists only when there is an abiding commitment to pursue common goals.  A sound and stable China-Australia relationship not only serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples, but also meets the common expectations of countries in the region. China is willing to take Premier Li Qiang's visit as an important opportunity to join hands with Australia to work from a new starting point, write a new chapter in China-Australia relations and make new contributions to maintaining and promoting peace and development in the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large.