On October 4^th 2015, Consul-General Rao Hongwei attended the Chinese National Day Gala of Chinese Students and Scholars in South Australia celebrating the 66^th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and addressed the audience.

Rao Hongwei said, China has experienced an extraordinary journey since the founding of the People’s Republic of China 66 years ago, especially since the beginning of the reform and opening-up. In a little more than three decades, we have turned China’s economic aggregate into the world’s second largest, helped 1.3 billion people to live significantly better lives, lead China into an overall well-off society. Nowadays, Chinese people are happy, content and confidant in their future. China’s foreign relations have reached an unprecedented level in terms of both breadth and depth and China’s global influence is rising. As an integral part of China-Australia relations, educational exchange and cooperation between China and Australia has made remarkable achievements that attract worldwide attention.  When China and Australia established diplomatic relations in 1972,there were no Chinese students in Australia. In 1996, there were only 5000. Today, Australia has 220,000 Chinese students. The number of Chinese students in South Australia is also growing, reaching nearly 20,000 at present.

Rao Hongwei said, “Friendship between peoples holds the key to building relations between countries. Every Chinese students here has contributed to the progress of China-Australia relations. Living and studying overseas, you still care a lot about the motherland, and you have been actively promoting Chinese culture and striving to be ‘Goodwill Ambassadors’. You have played an important role as a bridge in promoting understanding and friendship between the two peoples and have contributed to personnel and cultural exchanges between the two countries. I hereby extend my sincere gratitude and admiration to all of you. ‘When children travel far from home, mothers never stop worrying.’ I hope you keep close contact with your family and keep your parents and relatives informed of your study, life and achievements overseas so that they can have peace of mind. I hope you can repay your parents and mother country for their upbringing with excellent academic performance and good health.”

Finally, Consul-General Rao Hongwei concluded his speech with a quote from President Xi Jinping’s speech during his visit to Tacoma, U.S.A, “Education shapes the future of the people and the nation, and youth is the best time of one's life. I hope you can cherish each day, keep your feet on the ground and study hard to lay a solid foundation for future career success.’’