HE Ms Frances Adamson
Australian Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China
Congratulatory speech at the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce 15th Anniversary Gala
Ritz Carlton Hotel, Beijing
22 October 2011
Mr David Olsson – Chair of AustCham Beijing, Ms Joanne Wood, inaugural chair of AustCham Greater China, ladies and gentlemen, friends old and new. I am delighted to attend this event tonight, to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the inauguration of the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce in China.
各位尊贵的嘉宾, 北京澳大利亚商会主席David Olsson先生，澳大利亚商会大中华区首任主席Joanne Wood女士，女士们，先生们，我很荣幸今晚在此参加庆祝中国澳大利亚商会成立十五周年庆典活动。
I would like to extend a special welcome to our Chinese guests. Many of you have contributed to Australia-China relations over many years and I thank you for your support of a strong and mutually beneficial relationship between our countries.
首先，请让我对今天到场的中国嘉宾致以热烈的欢迎。你们多年来为促进中澳两国关系发展做出了卓越贡献，借此机会，衷心感谢你们对两国强健、并平等互利关系的维护和支持！
And to our Australian guests may I say how delighted I am to be with you here tonight to celebrate 15 years since the establishment of AustCham in Beijing.
Celebrating an achievement
Fifteen years is a notable anniversary in any organisation. It’s long enough to show the character, the resolve, and the relevance of a company to its customers, or an organisation to its members.
It’s also long enough to prove this is no fleeting experience, to reflect that much has been learnt, and, I hope, that there is much to look forward to.
But to consider this in the midst of the dynamism of China, with all of its incomparable change to both business and social environments, where one year seems to equal two or more anywhere else, I think that tonight we truly have an achievement to celebrate!
So in that context, and as the Honorary Patron of the Chamber, I would like to say ‘Congratulations AustCham’ on reaching this wonderful milestone of 15 years in Beijing!
Support of the Australian government
Tonight I am also pleased to speak on behalf of my predecessors Geoff Raby, Alan Thomas, David Irvine, Ric Smith and Michael Lightowler, who were all strong supporters of the Chamber.
I’d like to think of our successive roles as Honorary Patron of the Chamber as symbolic of the support across the Australian Government for your work. At the same time I’d also like to acknowledge the substantial contribution the Chamber makes to the work of the Embassy, and to the interests of the Australian Government and Australians in China.
I commend the Chamber for providing an excellent channel through which Australian business can express views on policy, share information and experiences, and provide input into the visits of Prime Ministers, Ministers and other government visitors, all informed by the reality of doing business in China.
The working groups that David Olsson mentioned a few moments ago are a good example of where AustCham, working with the Embassy, including Austrade, can draw together and articulate the views of members. The recent Issues Paper on Financial Services is a powerful example of what can be done.
The bilateral relationship
Fifteen years ago, when the Chamber was being established, bilateral trade between Australia and China hadn’t yet reached A$10 billion. For many businesspeople then China retained a sense of a pioneering spirit. Many Australians, perhaps with the exception of those here tonight, hadn’t quite grasped the full importance to Australia of China’s development, nor the opportunity this would represent.
Today, two way trade has passed the A$100 billion mark. Not only is China our largest trade partner, and our largest export market for both merchandise trade and services, it is also our largest source of international students, and our most valuable source of tourists.
Australia is also China’s seventh largest trade partner (with trade far larger in dollar terms than China’s trade with Russia), and it is this economic reality that has helped the bilateral relationship to develop such momentum.
It is a relationship that commands attention at the highest levels in both countries. Before taking up my role as Ambassador I met former Prime Ministers Whitlam, Fraser, Hawke, Keating and Howard, Prime Minister Gillard, Federal Ministers, State Premiers, leading business people and others with an interest in the relationship. A common theme in our discussions was a recognition of the importance of China, a view that we have certainly done well to date, but also a sense that there remains much to be done to realise the enormous potential both countries hold for each other.
Fifteen years ago, as Alan Reid assembled the inaugural AustCham Beijing Board, I’m sure there were great hopes for the future, but it must have been difficult to have imagined the scale of what has transpired in the intervening years.
Through all of this there have been countless challenges, some setbacks, and no doubt frustration in many forms, however the story that dominates is one of remarkable progress, excitement and a terrific optimism about what lies ahead.
Austcham Greater China
I welcome the establishment of AustCham Greater China. There is much to be gained from an organisation that represents a broader membership, geographically and across business sectors. This can only enhance AustCham’s credibility in both China and Australia.
The Australian Government looks forward to supporting and working with AustCham Greater China.
Looking forward
Looking ahead, we can be confident that the relationship between Australia and China will continue to broaden and deepen.
In December next year we will mark 40 years of diplomatic relations. We intend this to be a time of celebration, but also a time when we take initiatives to invest in our future. We want to work with AustCham on both counts.
Finally, I would like to congratulate all the members of AustCham, past and present, for their contribution to the Chamber as well as to the commercial relationship, and I hope you’re already planning to be here for the 20th and perhaps even the 30th anniversary celebrations!
To our Chinese guests, I would like to reiterate the importance of your contribution to the development of the commercial relationship between Australia and China. This is a strong relationship, not just between governments, but between people. There is much to be positive about, and I hope we can realise, together, the huge potential that lies before us.
我要对我们的中国客人重申的是，你们对于中澳两国间商业关系的发展所作出的贡献十分重要。我们两国关系密切，这种紧密联系不仅体现在两国政府之间，而且也存于两国人民之间。我们应该抱有乐观的态度，我希望我们能够携手实现双方之间巨大的合作潜力。
Congratulations AustCham and I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the evening.
谢谢大家。