(21 September 2017)  

Hon Robin Scott MP, Minister for Finance and Minster for Multicultural

Affairs, representing the Premier of Victoria,

Hon Bruce Atkinson MLC, President of Victorian Legislative Council,

Hon Colin Brooks MP, Speaker of Victorian Legislative Assembly,

Hon Julian Hill MP, Federal Member for Bruce and Co-Chair of the

Australia-China Parliamentary Group,

Hon Inga Peulich MLC, Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs and

Shadow Minister for Scrutiny of Government, representing the

Victorian Opposition Leader,

Hon Members of the Victorian Parliament,

City Councilors,

Colleagues from the Consular Corps,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

Good evening!

Welcome to our Reception Celebrating the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia.

I wish to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks and respects to all the friends who have cared about and supported the friendly relations and cooperation between our two countries.  

Since the founding of the New China 68 years ago, particularly since the introduction of the policy of reform and opening up nearly 40 years ago, tremendous changes have taken place in our country. We have achieved remarkable success in economic development, and the Chinese nation has made historic leaps forward. We have stood up, become richer and are growing stronger.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, China has deepened reform on all fronts, vigorously pursuing an innovation-driven development strategy and moving more quickly to adjust economic structure and upgrade industries. Thanks to these efforts, China’s economy has maintained stable and sound growth, and the new drivers of sustainable development have gained strength. In the first half of this year, China’s economy grew by 6.9%, and 7.35 million urban jobs were created.

Going forward, we will continue to follow the vision of innovative, coordinated, green, open and inclusive development, pushing forward the supply-side structural reform and accelerating the building of a new open economy system to achieve sustainable development.

We will continue to carry out targeted poverty alleviation. Having lifted over 700 million people out of poverty in the past 30-plus years, we plan to take the remaining 40 million rural poor out of poverty by 2020.

We will continue to expand opening up and build a globally competitive business environment. In the coming five years, China is expected to import USD 8 trillion worth of goods. A Chinese economy that maintains sound growth in the long run and is increasingly open will bring more opportunities to the rest of the world.

China will unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development and pursue the win-win strategy of opening up to make greater contributions to world peace and development.

According to the World Bank estimate, China’s annual contribution to global economic growth between 2013 and 2016 was 31.6% on average, ranking first in the world.

Earlier this year, in his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, President Xi Jinping elaborated on China’s commitment to free trade and put forward the proposition of making economic globalization more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all, a message that has been widely acclaimed in the world community.

Later in May, China successfully hosted the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, at which China, together with other participating countries and international organizations, drew a blueprint for implementing the “Belt and Road” initiative. This has not only provided a new platform for win-win cooperation among countries, but also created new opportunities for realizing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Earlier this month, China successfully hosted the 9th BRICS Summit in Xiamen, which called on countries to synergize development strategies and build broader development partnerships to jointly meet global challenges.

China will continue to uphold justice in the international arena, and play its role as a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a champion of international orders. We will work hard to provide more and better public goods to the international community and contribute our share to the building of a community of shared future for mankind.

As you know, the 19th CPC National Congress will be convened this October. This is a meeting of great importance that comes at a time when China’s effort to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects has reached a critical stage. The CPC will take this opportunity to summarize China’s new practices and experience in advancing reform and opening up and building a modern socialist country. Standing at a new starting point in history, the Party will lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to break new grounds in building socialism with Chinese characteristics and create an even better life.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

China always considers Australia an important partner in the Asia-Pacific. We share broad common interests in maintaining regional peace and stability and promoting common development and prosperity.

In 2014, President Xi Jinping paid a successful state visit to Australia, which took bilateral relations to a new stage of development. The visit by Premier Li Keqiang in March this year has boosted our exchanges and cooperation in a wide spectrum of areas. In the first half of this year, Australia’s trade with China reached AUD 79 billion, an increase of 40% over the same period of last year, demonstrating huge potential in our trade and economic cooperation. Moreover, there have been over 2 million mutual visits between our two countries each year, and nearly 200,000 Chinese students are studying in Australia. With the support of the Colombo Plan of the Australian government, more and more Australian youth go to study in China. All this has brought our people ever closer.

As the second largest state in both population and economy and the cultural capital and education state of Australia, Victoria is well placed to develop cooperation with China. All the successive Victorian governments have attached great importance to developing relations with China. Premier Andrews has visited China three times and was the only Australian state premier invited to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing. All these efforts have brought Victoria’s exchanges and cooperation with China to a new level.

China has been Victoria’s largest trading partner and the largest source of international students for many years, and has jumped to be its largest source of tourist receipts. To encourage more young people to visit and study in China, the Victorian government has introduced the Young Leaders Program and Hamer Scholarship, and sent a delegation of senior government officials to China for a regular exchange program starting from this year.

We have also seen increasing exchanges and cooperation in such fields as mutual investment, urban development, healthcare and medicine, science and technology, culture and sports. Many Chinese buildings are designed by Victorian architects and more scientific innovations made here have been translated into concrete results in China. While the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra impressed Chinese audiences in several cities with its beautiful melodies, the traditional Peking Opera and classical ballet performances from China have fascinated many audiences in Melbourne. As Premier Andres has put it, Victoria-China relations have long transcended commercial trade, and have been marked by deepening mutual understanding and mutual trust.

The Chinese communities have formed an important part of Australia’s multicultural society. In May this year, the Chinese communities and people from all walks of life in Victoria gathered together to commemorate the 160th anniversary of the great walk from Robe by Chinese gold miners. Premier Andrews and the Opposition leader Mr Guy both spoke highly of the historic contributions the Chinese communities have made to the development and prosperity of Australia. I hope and believe that the local Chinese communities will continue to serve as a bridge of friendship and an emissary of cooperation between our two countries.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

This year marks the 45th anniversary of China-Australia diplomatic relations. After 45 years of assiduous efforts by our two sides, we have deepened mutual understanding and friendship and expanded converging interests, and our practical cooperation has yielded fruitful results to the benefit of our two peoples. The 45th anniversary is not only a milestone, but also an important new starting point. Let’s build on what we have achieved and work in concert to further deepen our exchanges and cooperation on the basis of mutual respect and mutual trust and jointly contribute to the long-standing friendship between our two peoples and the common prosperity and development of our two countries.

Thank you!