Australia looking to strengthen ties with China

2008-7-21  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

WORLD Expo 2010 Shanghai will be the largest in history and is a tremendous opportunity for Australia to further strengthen bilateral ties with China.

The Australian Government is investing in a striking, attractive national pavilion in Shanghai - a pavilion with the capacity to welcome the 7 million visitors we expect over the six months of the Expo.

Visitors to our pavilion will be able to experience and enjoy all aspects of Australian life through cutting-edge exhibits and performances by contemporary Australian artists.

Australia and China have a long history of friendship, exchange and people-to-people links. After English, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) is now the most commonly spoken language in Australia.

Existing ties between our countries are already very strong and the potential of the bilateral relationship is great. At a political level, Australia and China continue to build a strong partnership, based on close cooperation in diverse areas, including climate change.

Economically, China is now Australia's largest trading partner and is a growing source of tourists, overseas students and inwards investment.

Our objective at the Shanghai Expo is not only to showcase to China the many facts of Australia's economy and culture. We also want to make a significant contribution to the Expo theme of "Better City, Better Life."

I am looking forward to the opportunity to take part in this historic event and would like to extend a warm invitation to our Chinese friends to visit the Australia Pavilion in 2010.