Long Dingbin

The Hon Roger Cook MLA, Premier of Western Australia,
The Hon Sue Ellery MLC, Minister for Finance, Commerce, Women's Interests,
The Hon Shane Love MLA, WA Leader of the Opposition,
The Hon Patrick Gorman MP, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister,
Mr. Sam Lim MP, Member for Tangney,
Government officials, mayors, city councilors, consuls general and consuls, overseas Chinese, ladies and gentlemen：

Good evening!

Today, we gather here to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. On behalf of the Chinese Consulate General in Perth, I would like to extend my warm welcome and heartfelt thanks to all of you!

The upcoming October 1st marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Over the past 75 years, the hard-working and brave Chinese people have pioneered a self-reliant way to increase GDP from 67.9 billion yuan in 1952 to 126 trillion yuan in 2023, making China the world's second-largest economy since 2010. Since 1979, about 770 million people have been lifted out of extreme poverty, contributing over 70% to global poverty reduction. From 1979 to 2023, the average GDP annual growth rate was 8.9%, and the contribution rate to global economic growth has exceeded 30% for many consecutive years. This is not only a great achievement of China, but also a significant contribution to global development.

In the first half of this year, China's GDP reached 61.7 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.0%, ranking top among major economies in the world. Remarkable progress has been made in multiple fields: 6 C919 large passenger aircraft have been delivered, Chang'e-6 succeeded in lunar back sampling and return, Shenzhen to Zhongshan Cross Sea Passage entered trial operation, the production of integrated circuits, new energy vehicles, solar cells maintained double-digit growth. This July, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was held, proposing 336 reform measures, and made it clear that all of them will be completed by 2029. China's reform and opening-up will not stop, it will continue to share development opportunities with other countries, promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

China and Australia complement each other's economic advantages. Australia has abundant mineral resources and renowned agricultural products. China is a continuously growing super large market, has been Australia's largest trading partner, export market, and import source for 15 consecutive years, bilateral trade accounts for over 30% of Australia's total trade volume. This June, the 9th China-Australia Annual Leaders Meeting between Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was successfully held, China announced unilateral visa waiver for Australia, and both sides agreed to issue 3-5 year multiple entry visas for tourism, business, and family visits, we welcome everyone to visit and explore China. This year marks the 10th anniversary of President Xi Jinping's state visit to Australia and the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Australia. Standing at a new starting point, let’s continue to move towards achieving mutual benefit and win-win results, bring more benefits to the people of both countries, make more contributions to world peace and development.

China and WA enjoy close trade ties, and the cooperation in various fields is constantly deepening. During 2022-2023 fiscal year, WA's trade with China reached AUD 158 billion, accounting for 50% of WA's foreign trade. According to a report of Australian China Business Council, trade with China has increased the average disposable income of WA households by AUD 8700, created 220,000 job opportunities, and reduced cost of living by 2.9%. This January, Premier Cook and I witnessed the resumption of China Eastern Airlines' direct flight from Perth to Shanghai. In November, China Southern Airlines' direct flight from Perth to Guangzhou will also resume. With the continuous improvement of transportation, people to people exchanges between China and Western Australia will become more vibrant. We believe that cooperation between the two sides in traditional fields such as mining and agriculture, as well as emerging fields such as new energy, tourism, and construction, will also be deepened.

To conclude, May I sincerely wish prosperity for China, happiness for its people, and may the friendship between the Chinese and Australian peoples last forever.

Thank you！