Remarks at the Reception Celebrating the 74th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China
By Consul General Long Dingbin
（October 18, 2023）
Hon. Roger Cook, Premier of Western Australia,
Hon. Don Punch, Minister for Regional Development,Disability Services, Fisheries, Seniors and Aging, Volunteering of Western Australia,
Hon. Michelle Roberts,Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia,
Hon. Mark McGowan, Colin Barnett, Former Premier of Western Australia, David Parker, former Deputy Premier of Western Australia,
Ms Libby Mettam, Leader of the Liberal Party of Western Australia,
Distinguished guestsfrom the Government of Western Australia, the business community, schools, Australia-China Friendship Society WA, overseas Chinese communities, consular corpsand Chinese-funded enterprises in western Australia,
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends,
Good evening! It gives me great pleasure to be here with you to celebrate the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. On behalf of the Chinese Consulate General in Perth, I would like to extend warm welcome to all of you and express my heartfelt thanks to friends from all walks of life who have long cared for and supported the friendship between China and Western Australia.
In 74 eventful years, the land of China has taken on a new look. Over the past 74 years, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people have worked together as one, overcome enormous difficulties and challenges, and made remarkable achievements in development. In particular, since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China has made great efforts to promote high-quality development, once and for all resolved the problem of absolute poverty, lifted nearly 100 million people out of poverty, and achieved the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects on schedule. In October 2022, the Communist Party of China successfully held its 20th National Congress, drawing a grand blueprint for China's future development and leading the Chinese people on a new journey to build China into a modern socialist country in all respects. At present, China's economic aggregate is the second largest in the world, the total volume of trade in goods, the scale of manufacturing industry and foreign exchange reserves are the largest in the world, and the Chinese people's life is getting better and better.
Looking back, China's development has not only improved the lives of its own people, but also played an important role as a driving force for the steady growth of the world economy. Over the past decade, China's economy has grown at an average annual rate of 6.2%, and its share of the global economy has risen from 11.3% in 2012 to around 18%. China's total trade in goods has ranked first in the world for six consecutive years, contributing more than 30% to global growth on average. In the past three years, China's economy grew at an average annual rate of 4.5 percent, 2.5 percentage points higher than the world average and one of the highest among major economies. Since the beginning of this year, despite the sluggish recovery of the world economy and the grim and complex external environment, the Chinese economy has maintained an upward momentum on the whole, growing by 5.5% in the first half of this year. According to the International Monetary Fund, China will contribute one third of world economic growth this year.
Looking ahead, China will continue to provide a strong driving force for world economic recovery and growth. As the world's largest developing country with a population of over 1.4 billion, China has huge potential and space for development. We are earnestly implementing the new development philosophy, accelerating the creation of a new pattern of development, and striving to achieve high-quality development. Since the beginning of this year, the Chinese government has made every effort to stabilize the economy and promote development. We have issued 12 important documents covering such areas as consumption, foreign trade, foreign investment, finance, tourism and employment. We are fully confident and capable of ensuring steady and sustained growth of the Chinese economy on the track of high-quality development. According to the forecasts of the World Bank and other international organizations, China's economy will grow at an average annual rate of 5% in the next five years, and its per capita GDP will reach USD20,000 in 2030. It is also predicted that by 2035, China's middle-income group will increase to 800 million people, and China's domestic consumption capacity will be greatly improved.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends,
As an old Chinese saying goes, "A single flower does not make spring, while one hundred flowers in full blossom bring spring to the garden". China is willing to share development opportunities with other countries, including Australia, to promote common prosperity, build a human community with a shared future, and contribute to world peace and development. At present, China is a major trading partner of more than 140 countries and regions. China leads the world in attracting foreign investment and outbound investment. In 2013, China put forward the Belt and Road Initiative. After 10 years of construction and development, the Belt and Road Initiative has become a platform for international cooperation featuring openness, inclusiveness, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, and a global public good widely welcomed by the international community. It is estimated that by 2030, the Belt and Road Initiative will generate USD1.6 trillion in annual global benefits. In 2018, China held the China International Import Expo for the first time, which is the world's first national-level expo with the theme of import. It has been held five sessions so far, and a total of 131 countries and international organizations have participated in the comprehensive exhibition. Australia is one of the main participants in the Expo, more than 300 companies and institutions have participated in the exhibition, and many Australian products and services, including those from Western Australia, have opened up the Chinese market through the Expo. The sixth CIIE will be held in Shanghai on November 5 this year, and nearly 30 Western Australian enterprises will participate in the exhibition. I sincerely invite more Australian and Western Australian enterprises to participate in the CIIE.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends,
Although China and Australia are located in the northern and southern hemispheres respectively, mountains and seas cannot distance our people with common aspirations of exchanges and cooperation, and our different resource endowments have made our economies more complementary. Over the years, the Chinese and Australian people have reaped tangible benefits from our mutually beneficial cooperation. China is Australia's largest trading partner, largest source of international tourism revenue and largest source of international students. Australia is an important trading partner and source of investment for China. China and Western Australia are working even more closely together. China is Western Australia's largest trading partner, largest export market for goods and largest import market for goods. In 2022, China accounted for 52 % of Western Australia’s goods exports and 22% of Western Australia’s goods imports. China is Western Australia's biggest export market for iron ore, lithium, nickel, gold and wheat. In 2022, 83% of Western Australia’s iron ore, 97% of lithium, 59% of nickel, 38% of gold and 26% of wheat were exported to China.
The nature of China-Australia relations is mutually beneficial and win-win, and friendly cooperation conforms to the fundamental interests and common aspirations of the two peoples. In recent years, through the joint efforts of both sides, China-Australia relations have been undergoing a stage of stabilization and improvement. This September, Premier Li Qiang held constructive talks with Prime Minister Albanese on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit. Under the guidance of the top leaders of the two countries, China-Australia exchanges in various fields have gradually resumed and achieved fruitful results. China and Western Australia enjoy a profound traditional friendship and a solid foundation for cooperation. The two sides have had frequent interactions since the COVID-19 pandemic and deepened friendly cooperation in various fields. In April this year, Premier McGowan visited China. In May, Wang Xiaohui, Secretary of the Party Committee of Sichuan Province, visited Western Australia. In June, Baowu and Rio Tinto celebrated the opening of the Western Range project; In July, Australian-China Consortium for Astrophysical Research celebrated the 60th anniversary of China-Australia astronomy cooperation in Western Australia. In August, the Boao Forum for Asia held its first overseas conference since the COVID-19 pandemic in Perth. In September, BHP celebrated shipping of 3 billion tons of iron ore to China, and Nanjing University of the Arts and Edith Cowan University renewed the memorandum of cooperation; In early October, Li Hui, deputy mayor of Nanjing, visited Perth to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Sister City relationship between the two cities. Last week, China's Ningbo Second Hospital signed a research cooperation agreement with Marshall Centre for Infectious Disease Research and Training. More Chinese delegations will visit Western Australia to consolidate and expand China-Western Australia cooperation in various fields. We are eagerly looking forward to Premier Cook's first visit to China since assuming office. We also hope that all WA friends will pay more visits to China and further expand cooperation and exchanges with China in various fields. The Chinese Consulate General in Perth is willing to facilitate China-Western Australia cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends,
Last year, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Prime Minister Whitlam's historic visit to China. It is also a new starting point for us to enter the next 50 years of China-Australia relations. Prime Minister Albanese has officially announced that he will visit China within this year, which will become another milestone in China-Australia bilateral relations and further promote China-Australia cooperation in various fields. I am ready to work with friends from all walks of life in Western Australia to contribute more to the development of China-Western Australia relations.
In conclusion, I would like to invite you all to join me to toast the prosperity of the People's Republic of China, the further strengthening of China-Australia and China-Western Australia relations, a better life for the Chinese and Australian people, and good health and happiness for all present!
Cheers!