China and Australia have engaged in vibrant people-to-people exchanges and deepened bilateral friendship. The two countries have successfully held in each other’s side the year of culture, which has fostered growing “Australia zeal” in China and “China zeal” in Australia.

China is the largest source of tourist receipts for ­Australia while Australia is the second-largest destination of outbound Chinese ­students. In 2013 the mutual visits between our two countries exceeded 1.5 million, and more than 200,000 Chinese students are studying in Australia.

The growing China-Australia relations have offered us many widely told stories. The Australian eye specialist Peter ­Graham, known as a “Lightbringer”, ­visited China in 1991, during which he performed operations for several patients with eye ­disease and restored their eye sight. In 2009 and 2013 when Victoria and New South Wales of ­Australia were hit by severe bush fires, the Chinese side lent a helping hand by ­providing prompt satellite data about the fires. It is with these heartwarming notes our people have struck in their exchanges that we have composed a splendid movement about China-Australia friendship.

As an ancient Chinese philosopher wrote, “A tree has to strike a firm root before it can flourish. A river has to have a fully dredged source before it can flow unceasingly far.” The most important reason that China and Australia, an Eastern culture in the Northern Hemisphere and a Western culture in the Southern, have been able to bring bilateral relations to the current height is that they have followed the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, ­promoted mutual trust through dialogue, sought win-win progress through co-operation and cemented friendship through exchanges. This is proven to be the right path for the development of China-Australia relations, which has withstood the test of history and won the support of the people

At the current stage, China is comprehensively deepening reform and opening up, promoting rule of law on all fronts and ­making relentless efforts to achieve the “two centenary goals” (i.e. doubling our GDP and per capita urban and rural income of 2010 and completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all aspects by 2020, and turning China into a harmonious ­modern socialist country that is strong, ­prosperous, democratic and culturally advanced by the middle of the century) and the Chinese dream of great renewal of the Chinese nation. Likewise, Australia is ­speeding up economic restructuring and industrial upgrading to build a stronger and more prosperous country.

On international and regional issues, our two countries have increasingly broader common ground and common understanding. Suffice it to say that with strong internal strength for growth, great strategic significance and a solid foundation, China-Australia co-operation will enjoy an even brighter prospect.

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