The Hon. Nick Champion MP, Minister for Trade and Investment, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, and Minister for Planning,

Mr. Sean Keenihan, President of the Australia China Business Council SA Branch,

Mr. Liu Bo, Vice President of the Adelaide Branch of the China Chamber of Commerce in Australia,

Ms. Jill Collins, State Director of the South Australia State Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,

The Hon. Rob Kerin, Former South Australian Premier and Chair of S.A. Rock Lobster Advisory Council,

Mr. Chester Osborn, d’Arenberg Wines,

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

Good afternoon!

It is a great pleasure for me to attend the 2023 Chinese New Year Celebration co-hosted by the Australia China Business Council SA Branch and the Adelaide Branch of the China Chamber of Commerce in Australia. On behalf of the Consulate-General of China in Adelaide, I wish all distinguishedguests every happiness and all the best for the Year of the Rabbit !I would like to thank the two branches for pouring so mush passion and efforts into this function. I am pleased to note that it’s the fourth consecutive year for you to co-host Chinese New Year event. Thank you very much for your great contributions over these years to strengthening the cooperation and friendship between China and Australia. Congratulation on your signing of the MOU for cooperation. And Minister Champion, thank you and your team for the commitments and dedication to promoting Australia’s, especially South Australia’s economic and trade ties with China .

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

2022 has gone down as an extraordinary year for China. The Communist Party of China successfully convened its 20th National Congress and an ambitious blueprint has been drawn for advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. China has made remarkable achievements in effectively coordinating COVID-19 prevention and control with economic and social development. Various economic activities in China during the Spring Festival showed signs of accelerating recovery and raised expectations for the pace of strong rebound of Chinese economy after the pandemic and its contribution to the global economic recovery.

Over the past year, thanks to the efforts from our both sides, China-Australia relations have gone through difficulties and regained positive momentum. The successful and constructive meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Albanese set up the tone for the relationship between our two countries. Lots of celebrations of the 50th anniversary of China-Australia diplomatic relations have been held both in China and Australia. In South Australia, our Consulate-General and the State Government, the ACBC SA Branch and the Adelaide Branch of CCCA jointly held the celebration events respectively. We took the 50th anniversary as a good opportunity to review the course of China-Australia relationship over the past 50 years, strengthen our commitment that "a sound and stable China-Australia relationship serves the fundamental interests of our two countries and two peoples”, and reflect our eager expectation for further stabilization and improvement of our friendly relations. 

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

Now Beijing is entering the spring blooming season. The spring is pleasant, inspiring, and full of vigor. In the new year, with the optimization of China’s COVID-19 response, the demand accumulated in the past three years will be fully unleashed. Combined with multiple effects of a series of newly introduced economic stimulus initiatives, Chinese economy is on a course of robust comeback.China will continue to unswervingly promote high-quality development and high-standard opening-up, and pursue a green, low-carbon and sustainable path to development.The process of Chinese modernization will not only benefit its own people, but also open up new prospect for and further enrich its cooperation with other countries , including Australia.

In the new year, we are full of expectations for further improvement and development of China-Australia relations. We are pleased to note that, not long ago, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao  held a constructive virtual meeting with Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell. Minister Farrell said he would travel to Beijing in the near future. We stand ready to work with the Australian side to further push forward the China-Australia relations and bringabout still greater benefit to our two peoples. 

The Chinese and Australian business communities have always been  important driving force in enhancing China-Australia friendship and practical cooperation, as well as direct participants and beneficiaries of China-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The ACBC SA branch has made long-standing contributions to promoting practical economic and trade cooperation between China and South Australia and has conveyed the pragmatic and rational view for China-Australia friendship with its actions even in the most difficult time of China-Australia relations. I have great admiration and high respect for that. In the context of the gradual improvement of our bilateral relations, I sincerely hope ACBC SA will continue to give full play to its own advantages, seize the opportunity and fully tap into the potential of cooperation,  elevate the mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation between China and South Australia to a new height, and to make positive contributions to the further development of our friendly relations in the days ahead. 

Taking this opportunity, I would like to announce in advance that many major exhibitions in China, such as the 6th CIIE in Shanghai（China International Import Expo), the China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou, China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing, China International Fair for Investment & Trade in Xiamen will be fully resumed offline in 2023. We sincerely welcome friends from the local business community to visit China for exchanges and participate the exhibitions, actively explore the Chinese market and share business opportunities.  I wish you all a fruitful and prosperous business in the new year! 

Our Chinese Consulate-General will continue to play our active role as the bridge to enhance the practical cooperation and exchanges  between China and South Australia, to work concertedly with all those who care for and support the friendship between China and Australia to move our cooperation towards more extensive, more productive and at a deeper level. I am pleased to learn that ACBC is going to hold the RCEP Climate Change and Green Summit in Qingdao, Shandong Province in the second half of this year. Our Consulate-General will provide necessary assistance and facilitation.

At last, I wish China-Australia relations a brighter future!

I wish the practical and friendly cooperation between China and South Australia more fruitful results!

I wish all of you and your family good health, happiness and the best of luck in the Year of the Rabbit!

Thank you!