Premier calls for stronger China-Australia partnership

Premier Li Qiang called on Tuesday for China and Australia to further strengthen higher-quality cooperation and create a stronger synergy for development to effectively address uncertainties.

Li made the remarks while meeting with entrepreneurs attending the 8th China-Australia CEO Roundtable Meeting in Beijing with visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Beijing.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the implementation of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement. Li said that over the past decade, the economic and trade cooperation between China and Australia has shown strong resilience and vitality, despite some setbacks.

Li highlighted the strong economic complementarity between China and Australia, and called for higher-quality cooperation in trade and investment.

"In recent years, economic globalization has encountered headwinds, with increasing trade frictions and serious disruptions to the international economic and trade order. In this context, strengthening cooperation between China and Australia holds even greater significance," Li said.

He also said that in the past few years, bilateral trade stood at around $210 million, and there remains great potential for expanding.

A recent survey conducted by the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce found that China remains a top investment destination for Australian and other foreign companies. The survey, involving 858 companies, found that 75 percent of the enterprises rank China among their top three global priorities over the next three years, reflecting strong confidence in the Chinese market.

Bran Black, chief executive of the Business Council of Australia, said that the economic and business relationship between Australia and China is strong and robust, and Australian businesses see much greater opportunities to further deepen economic ties with China.

"We must be bold in seizing the many opportunities in front of us," he said. "It goes without saying that constructive dialogue between our two nations gives people confidence."