Colonel Michael Miller, Representing Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley, Governor of New South Wales,
The Honourable Stephen Kamper, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Lands and Property, Minister for Multiculturalism, Minister for Sport, Representing The Honourable Chris Minns, Premier of New South Wales,
Colleagues from Sydney Consular Corps,
Compatriots,
Ladies and Gentlemen，Dear Friends，
Good evening!
Today, we mark the 23rd day of the final month in the Chinese agricultural calendar, celebrated in China as the "Minor New Year". This day heralds the commencement of preparations for the Chinese New Year. It is a sheer pleasure to be with you on this auspicious occasion as we come together to celebrate the most significant traditional festival of the Chinese people — the Chinese New Year. To get started, I extend a warm welcome on behalf of the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Sydney. My heartfelt greetings go out to each of you, along with sincere New Year wishes to those who steadfastly support China and the development of China-Australia relations!
As the most important traditional festival of the Chinese nation, the Chinese New Year contains the meaning of reunion and hope, embodies universal values such as family harmony, social inclusiveness, and harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. Over time, the Chinese New Year has garnered global recognition. 2024 marks the Year of the Loong in Chinese agricultural calendar. The Loong holds immense importance for all Chinese individuals. The Loong, representing auspiciousness, justice, prosperity and strength, is the spiritual symbol of the Chinese nation. We Chinese people call ourselves "the descendants of the Loong". Chinese culture,especially the Chinese New Year culture, has become a integrated part of Australia's multiculturalism. At this moment, various states and territories across Australia are organizing diverse celebrations for the Year of the Loong. This not only reflects the widespread recognition and affection of the Australian people for Chinese traditional culture, but also showcases the joy and unity fostered by cultural exchanges and shared sentiments.
In the past year, the Chinese people achieved a smooth transition in our COVID-19 response efforts. The Chinese economy has sustained the momentum of recovery. Steady progress has been made in pursuing high-quality development. China’s GDP reached a record of 126 trillion yuan with a growth of 5.2 percent year on year in 2023, ranking among the forefront of major economies and contributing over 30% to global economic growth. China’s innovation-driven development is full of energy, and the standard of living for the people continues to improve. While pursuing its development, China has also embraced the world and fulfilled its responsibility as a major country. Recently, President Xi Jinping reaffirmed China's willingness to work with all countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind, providing a Chinese solution for what kind of world we should build and how to build it. President Xi also put forward two major propositions promoting an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. We deeply appreciate the value of peace and are willing to work with the international community to build a better world.
China and Australia have extensive common interests and a solid foundation for cooperation. In 2023, thanks to the joint efforts of both sides, bilateral exchanges in various fields have resumed and ties between the two countries are on the right track of improvement and growth. President Xi Jinping met and held in-depth communication with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, providing strategic guidance for the sustained improvement and advancement of bilateral ties. The year of 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Australia. Under the guidance of both leaders and based on the principle of mutual respect, mutual benefit and seeking common ground while shelving differences, we are ready to work with the Australian side to implement the consensus and results reached by President Xi and Prime Minister Albanese, and promote the continuous development of our comprehensive strategic partnership at a new starting point.
As Australia's "First State", NSW plays a key role in facilitating practical cooperation with China. China has now become NSW’s top trading partner, primary source of imports, and a major market for service trade exports. In the first 11 months of 2023, trade between China and NSW reached nearly AUD 52.8 billion, showing a 6.2% increase. Looking forward, I'm confident that NSW will keep actively contributing to friendly cooperation between China and Australia. Our Consulate-General is dedicated to working with friends in NSW to carry out the important consensus reached by our leaders. We aim to strengthen the friendship between China and Australia by encouraging deepened conversations and cooperation in various areas, including government interactions, trades and businesses, as well as people-to-people connections.
The Chinese community is a vital part of Australia's diverse society. Currently, Chinese-background population in NSW is approximately 580,000, constituting 7.2% of the total population. Sydney hosts nearly half of headquarters of the Chinese enterprises in Australia, while over 80,000 Chinese students, constituting 45% of the total in Australia, study in NSW. Over the years, the contributions of overseas Chinese in Australia, Chinese enterprises and Chinese students have been indispensable in Australia's economic and social development and the cultivation of a rich cultural landscape, laying a sound foundation for friendly relations between China and Australia. In 2024, our commitment remains people-centered, guided by the principle of "diplomacy for the people." We strive to continue offering assistance and quality services to our compatriots in NSW.
In conclusion, I wish that our mother country prosper, China-Australia relations thrive, and friendly cooperation between China and NSW continues to yield more fruits! I wish dear friends from NSW, as well as our compatriots a prosperous and auspicious Year of the Loong!
Cheers!