Bureaus Exclusive

Ex-PM optimistic about future Sino-Aussie ties

By Ma Chenguang (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-05-22 22:11

MAANSHAN - John Winston Howard, the 25th Prime Minister of Australia between Mar 11, 1996 and Dec 3 of f 2007, said in Anhui province that he is quite optimistic about future relations with China.

Based on mutual trust and benefit, Sino-Aussie ties ----- which were established on Dec 21, 1972 ---- have been good during the last 29 years and the basis was strong, he said.

Mr Howard was in Maanshan attending the 4th Global Outsourcing Summit, which was co-organized by Asia-Pacific CEO Association, Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Eco-operation under the Ministry of Commerce, the Bureau of Commerce of Anhui Province as well as Maanshan City Government, and ran between May 21 and 23.

The growth of China is a good story, he added during an interview, noting that Australia has benefited from China’s growth.

The ex-Aussie PM stressed that China is “doing very, very well” and succeeding in the highly competitive world.

As China continues to grow, he said, she must do all the things that other nations must do amid globalization and none should put up barriers.

When asked whether China’s economic development zones in various places are attractive around the world, the ex-Aussie PM noted that so long as the investment in one place is profitable and the production cost is low, it will be “attractive.”

Ms Sui Hui, manager director of United Nations Industrial Development Organization, said yesterday that China and Australia were left “zero victims” of world financial crisis during the past few years thanks to the continuous growth of China.

China’s contribution to global economic is now “unquestionable” as facts have shown, she said during an interview, adding that many nations consider China a “savior” to the word due to its stability, growth and enhancement of development of other nations and regions.

She noted that China, as well as Anhui province and Maanshan ---- which is one of the 17 prefecture-level cities under the Eastern China province, must pay attention to the transfer from traditional industrial modes to contemporary ones.

Liang Fanian, director of Maanshan City Information Office, said the 4th Global Outsourcing Summit, which attracted nearly 700 participants from around the world, is a grand scene to the city never seen before.