Download Australian Consul-General in Guangzhou, Ms Jill Collins Address to

Australian Consul-General in Guangzhou, Ms Jill Collins
Address to Guangdong-Macao-Australia Economic and
Trade Cooperation Seminar
Melbourne, 28 June 2013
I acknowledge Liu Yu, Counsellor of the Chinese Consulate
General in Melbourne, David Thomas from ACBW, officials
from Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation
of Guangdong and from Macau Trade and Investment
Promotion Institute for the opportunity to speak briefly this
morning.
I'm in Australia for consultations with state-based industry,
education, government and cultural organizations. I'm here to
highlight why South China matters more than ever to
Australia. And to outline how the Australian Government is
rolling out its vision for engaging ever more strongly with
South China.
When I think of Guangdong, I bring to mind the long-standing
friendships between our people, which began over 150 years
ago with early migration, and which go from strength to
strength. Over recent years, more Chinese students in
Australia have come from Guangdong than any other
province. Our aviation links have expanded fourfold in the
past three years, with an average 100,000 visits being made
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annually by Australians to Guangzhou, and the same number
in the reverse direction.
Guangdong, too, has strong credentials in economic
leadership.
For decades the engine of China's economic growth,
Guangdong is today an economy in transition from a labourintensive, manufacturing based economy to one increasingly
structured around modern service industries, advanced
manufacturing technologies, R&D and high value-added
industries.
Guangdong is leading China's actions on climate change, with
the launch last week of the Emissions Trading Scheme in
Shenzhen.
And it is diversifying its economy. According to a report by
Guangzhou Daily this week, it is forecast that by 2017, private
industry will account for more than 47 percent of GDP.
What is exciting for Australia is that the industrial sectors that
Guangdong is seeking to develop are the very same sectors in
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which Australia has significant strengths, generating
complementarities between our two economies.
We both want to develop our cooperation in the services
sector - including in logistics, professional, banking and
accountancy services, energy-saving design, ICT and
innovation, clean-technology, as well as in tourism, education
and food and agricultural technologies and agribusiness. As
China deals with the challenges of changing demographics
and urbanisation, we also see mutual opportunities in health
and medical services, and aged care.
For the broader Australia-China relationship, this has been a
productive year. In April, our most senior political delegation
ever to visit China, headed by the Prime Minister, participated
in the Bo’ao Forum and announced the elevation of the
Australia-China relationship to a strategic partnership. The
commencement of direct AUD renminbi trading is also
intended to make it easier for companies in Australia and
Guangdong to trade in each other’s markets.
At the provincial level, let me say I was particularly pleased to
be able to participate in today's activity, because the
Australian Consulate in Guangzhou has a very close
relationship with Guangdong DOFTEC. Together, we are
developing practical initiatives to build on our commercial
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relationship. Initiatives that will benefit business on both sides,
including in the dynamic state of Victoria which is strongly
engaged with Guangdong.
Guangdong matters to Australia. In April, our Trade Minister
launched the Government’s first ever business-to-business
initiative with a Chinese provincial government – the AustraliaGuangdong Business Cooperation Council.
The Business Council is a collaboration between the
Australian Government and Guangdong DOFTEC.
It will provide a platform for businesses from both countries to
generate outcomes that mutually benefit business, with a
particular focus on newly emerging sectors such as services.
Recently, we also worked closely with Guangdong DOFTEC
to deliver an Australian Foreign Investment Review Board
roadshow in Guangzhou. This was a valuable opportunity to
share our experiences, to highlight Australia's open and
transparent investment environment with Guangdong's
business elite, and for our State governments to highlight
opportunities for investors.
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You might not be aware that China currently ranks as only the
9th largest foreign investor in Australia, accounting for about 1
percent of total foreign investment stock. We welcome the
Chinese business community to invest more aggressively in
Australia's priority sectors, including tourism and major
infrastructure, innovation and digital economy, clean
technology and agricultural science and food technology and
processing.
To close, I would like to thank my counterparts at Guangdong
DOFTEC for their ongoing cooperation. We truly value our
strong friendship. And I wish today's seminar every success.
Thank you.