——Dr Ruan Zongze's speech at Lunch with Dr Ruan Zongze, Consul-General of China in Brisbane

31 July 2024, The Brisbane Club

Good afternoon! Thank you for being here.

Please let me begin by acknowledging the host of this event today the Hon Larry Anthony AO, SAS Group Chairman, Mr Peter Costantini OAM, SAS Group Founding Director and former President of Brisbane Club, Victoria Qiu, SAS China Director and Chief Executive, Ms Sally McCray, president of Brisbane club and your team. I very much appreciate your kind invitation and hospitality.

 It's a great pleasure to be here with old and new friends. Thank you for your concern and support for China-Australia relations. I am looking forward to the discussing, and I would like to hear your insights on this incredible bilateral relationship.

Although China-Australia relations have significantly improved recently, there are still Australian public opinions that are anxious about being overly dependent on China economically; or they believe that the two countries have different political systems and that China's rise is a threat.

There is also a perception in China that Australia lacks autonomy and often looks at China through tinted glasses, viewing China's actions to promote its legitimate rights and interests as aggressive and damaging mutual trust.

How will these views affect our bilateral relations? How can we expand the space and potential for the future development of China-Australia relations? What does Chinese modernization mean to Australia? Clearly, we need more conversations and engagements. This dialogue is indeed timely and important.

I believe that China's development is no less than a gospel for the world, and Chinese modernization will provide new impetus and opportunities for China and Australia to deepen cooperation.

From London to Washington to Brisbane

I will start with sharing my three overseas postings with you. They provide a special perspective to observe the evolution of China's interaction with the West in the past 30 years and the misjudgments of China by Western public opinion.

My first overseas trip was to London. After the curtain fell on Thatcherism in the 1990s, The Labour Party won the 1997 election and entered Downing Street. Prime Minister Tony Blair sought to strike a balance between efficiency and fairness with the so-called "third way" approach, putting a humanitarian mask on capitalism. During this period, China and the UK maintained active engagements and exchanges.

Then I went to Washington, during which the meltdown of the 2008 financial crisis transformed the United States from a "problem solver" to a "troublemaker" overnight. China's cooperation was badly needed, and The Group of Twenty (G20), rather than the Group of Seven (G7), became the main forum to deal with the financial crisis. The United States and China have worked closely together to fight terrorism and the financial crisis for their common interests. But the good times did not last long. Washington turned its back on old associates, clamored to "pivot to Asia" and pointed its sword at China.

In June 2022, I came to Brisbane to start my third overseas posting. Australia calls itself a Lucky Country, which I think is true because I have witnessed the restoration and transformation of China-Australia relations here in the sunshine state. With the concerted efforts of both sides, China-Australia relations have finally cleared the air and are vigorously moving forward.

Three overseas postings, time and space intersect. These extraordinary experiences allowed me to see the changes in the Western narrative and attention to China and their two major misjudgments of China.

 For a long time, the Western media self-claimed "freedom of the press" do not want the general public know the real China.They have not only seriously ignored the development and progress in China, but are also judged with arrogance and prejudice. Furthermore they have created one information cocoon after another for their own entertainment, which led to misjudgments of China. It is quite shocking.

First of all, when the Cold War collapsed, Western public opinion hailed the "end of history" and took it for granted that China would follow in the footsteps of the Soviet Union's disintegration, claiming that China would be the next to fall. Although China has implemented vigorous reform and opening up since the late 1970s, the arrogance of the West has made it dismissive of China. However, China's staggering economic growth has been the fastest in the world for more than 30 years, and China's GDP now accounts for about 20 percent of the world's GDP.

Secondly, Western public opinion believes that the Chinese system cannot work and will not succeed. Facts have proved eloquently that China has delivered the best hope for its people.China is sticking to its own path, which is getting wider and wider. China not only lifted one fifth of the world's population out of poverty and completed the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, but is now pursuing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through its path to modernization. China's success has actually inspired the Global South and the rest of the world, giving it the confidence to forge ahead.

Today, the international spotlight is on China, and the attention of the West on China has undergone a dramatic shift from zero attention before to gazing now. The West's lack of attention to China before was due to a lack of belief that China would succeed, while today's high attention is due to a fear of China's success.

This further complicates China's already fraught relationship with the West. In both London and Washington, there is lingering anxiety about China. But what I hear most in Brisbane is "G’day mate, no worries".

China is neither the Soviet Union nor the United States. China is China.

Go My Own Way and Leave Room for Others

Unlike some countries that are keen on building walls, decoupling, engaging in protectionism, and instigating camp confrontation and a "new Cold War", China is committed to peaceful development, insists on following its own path and leaving room for others. China does not export ideology or war, and keeps the best peace record. Among the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council today, only China is not involved in the war.

Unlike other powers in history who achieved development through plunder, war and oppression, China pursues its modernization, which will not only advance China's development to a new stage, but also empower the development of other countries, providing public goods and generating growth opportunities for the world.

China's initiatives to build a community with a shared future for mankind, the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative focus on promoting world peace and development, which vividly demonstrates the transparency and continuity of China's foreign policy. China not only says this, but practices it.

From the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway in Indonesia to the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway in Kenya, from the China-Laos Railway to the China Europe Railway Express, there are numerous mutually beneficial cooperation projects, which have built a road to trade, prosperity and opportunity for Sino-foreign cooperation.

Recently, the 78th session of the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on strengthening international cooperation on artificial intelligence capacity building, proposed by China. The resolution aims to help countries, especially developing countries, equally benefit from AI development, bridge the digital divide, improve global AI governance, and accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

However, as China develops, there are louder voices hyping up the "China threat" theory in the West. Some people, based on the so-called "position of strength", regard China's legitimate behavior of safeguarding its legitimate rights and interests as a so-called threat, and wrongly coerce and suppress China. They falsely claim that as its economic strength increases, China will revise or overturn the existing international order and establish a Chinese-dominated one.

As we all know, the world has only one system, one set of rules, and one order, which is the order established on the basis of the Charter of the United Nations and international law. In accordance with the spirit and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, all states are equal and should not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.

Under the banner of a "rules-based international order", Washington is acting as if "might is right" in an attempt to establish an international order ruled by itself to replace the international order based on the UN Charter and international law. Obviously, the United States is a revisionist power.

The US is trying to contain China by exploiting the Taiwan question. The Three Joint Communiqués between China and the United States and the statements made by successive US leaders have all demonstrated their adherence to the one-China principle. However, the United States has used a "salami-slicing" method to distort, obscure and hollow out the one-China principle, interfering in China's internal affairs, and violating international law and basic norms governing international relations such as state sovereignty and territorial integrity as defined in the UN Charter and non-interference in internal affairs. This is undoubtedly a subversion of the international order and a serious threat to world peace.

Although the road ahead for China has not been smooth, any attempt to suppress China has not worked in the past, still does not work now, and will never work in the future.

Opportunities are within reach

Recently, there have been concerns in Australia that China's economic downturn will drag down its economic development, and I see hope in this, because it shows that Australia hopes that China will maintain strong economic growth and import more products to help Australia's economic growth. This reflects that China and Australia are already a growth community with each other.

China-Australia relations have five major characteristics, which can be summarized as ABCDE: A is for adjacency, B is for benefit, C is for complementarity, D is for dialogue and E is for engagement.

Chinese modernization will significantly upgrade China-Australia cooperation. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held recently mapped out the overall plan for further deepening reform comprehensively in the Chinese modernization, opened up broad prospects for that. This key meeting has further released the information of opening up to the outside world and optimizing the business environment.

China as a super-large market is no longer a fantasy, but a reality. As the world's second largest economy, China's GDP grew by 5.0 percent year-on-year in the first half of the year. China's middle-income group is expected to grow from 400 million to 800 million by 2035. China's commitment to high-quality development through high-level opening-up has provided a valuable opportunity for Australian business people to invest in China and share development dividends.

The highly complementary nature of the Chinese and Australian economies is also reflected in our different resource endowments and strengths. China and Australia share common aspirations in supporting economic globalization and safeguarding the multilateral trading system. Australia's mining boom, underpinned by a close and mutually beneficial partnership with China, has helped make it the only country in the West that has not experienced an economic recession. China's high-quality and affordable products can also help Australia reduce the cost of living.

Currently, promising opportunities for cooperation between China and Australia are emerging in various fields, including green development, the digital economy, and artificial intelligence. Both China and Australia are undergoing economic transformations. China is vigorously promoting the development of new productive forces, focusing on technological innovation, new energy, low carbon, and digital development. Meanwhile, Australia aims to achieve net-zero targets, advance its future manufacturing industry, and enhance its position and value in the global supply chain. The timing for mutually beneficial cooperation is therefore very opportune.

Moreover, Australia's multiculturalism has something in common with China's "harmony in diversity" ideology, which emphasizes mutual respect and seeking common ground while reserving differences.

Despite frequent conflicts in the world, the Asia-Pacific region where China and Australia are located is a high ground for global growth and development. Cooperation between the two sides will help build an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future, create new growth points for green development, achieve higher levels of connectivity, and create stable and unimpeded industrial and supply chains.

South Pacific island countries face severe threats from rising sea levels and arduous development tasks, but their potential is promising. Exploring a "China-Australia plus" multilateral cooperation model will help provide more development assistance to relevant countries and enhance their resilience in addressing global challenges such as climate change.

From Shepherd to Shaper

The development of China-Australia relations cannot be achieved without the support and efforts of the Chinese people, who have a deep historical connection with Australia. The 1.4 million Chinese people are a bridge of connectivity between China and Australia and play a unique role in promoting friendship and cooperation between the two countries. As pioneers, builders and contributors to Australia, the story of the Chinese immigrants should not be forgotten, and should be heard by more people.

I visited St George last year and heard many stories about the early Chinese coming to Australia to make a living. In 1848, more than 300 Chinese from Xiamen, China, came to the Darling Downs to herd sheep. Many eventually laid to rest by the Balonne River. Some local residents are of Chinese descent. They say that without the Chinese, there would be no St George.

The story of shepherds from Xiamen is just a snapshot of the many Chinese migrant settlers in Australia. As early as more than 200 years ago, the first group of Chinese crossed the ocean and came to the Australian continent, becoming the shapers of Australia's diverse culture and history. The Chinese in Australia carry forward the traditional virtues of diligence, courage, solidarity and friendship of the Chinese nation, and take root in the Australian mainland. They have made significant contributions to Queensland's agriculture, farming, horticulture and water management.

In Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton, Toowoomba and other places, I have seen traces of Chinese participation in early days in local economic, social and cultural development. One of the Rockhampton’s museums still displays letters home and traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions written by the Chinese immigrants went there looking for gold. There is also a Kwong Sang Walk in Toowoomba that tells the story of Chinese businesses a hundred years ago. Since Chinese pioneers established much of the banana plantations in Queensland and lots of bananas are grown in this state, Queenslanders earned the moniker ‘Banana Benders’.

China and Queensland have long achieved remarkable cooperation results. China has been Queensland's largest trading partner, export market, and source of imports for many consecutive years. The China International Import Expo serves as an efficient platform for high-quality Queensland products to enter the Chinese market.

In 2023, the trade in goods between China and Queensland reached AUD 39.436 billion, a year-on-year increase of over 13.1percent. Queensland's exports to China amounted to AUD 24.011 billion, a 28-fold increase year-on-year, bringing trade surplus for Queensland.

Both sides have shown excellent performance in fields such as energy, agriculture, education, and tourism. Currently, Queensland hosts 25,000 Chinese students, and Chinese tourists consider Queensland a must-visit destination. There is significant potential for cooperation in new energy, services, and healthcare sectors.

China and Queensland have established more than twenty sister province and state and city relationships, such as those between Shanghai and Guangdong with Queensland, and Chongqing and Shenzhen with Brisbane. This indicates a broad and solid foundation for friendly cooperation at local and civil levels. The issuance of reciprocal five-year multiple-entry visas and the launch of direct flights from Brisbane to China by China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines have significantly promoted personnel exchanges. Seeing is believing; we welcome you to visit China.

Beijing has previously hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2022 Winter Olympics, both with support and cooperation from Australia and Queensland. The 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane will similarly offer an opportunity to enhance mutual beneficial cooperation.

Chinese enterprises are investing and operating in Queensland, such as the Tully Sugar Mill in Northern Queensland. The Tully Town has prospered due to the sugar mill, which has formed a close partnership with sugarcane farmers, local communities, and local government, creating a win-win “sweet business.”

In conclusion, the development of China-Australia relations is not about changing each other but about shaping better versions of ourselves.

Both China and Australia are advocates, practitioners, and beneficiaries of free trade. With new opportunities in the new era, the economic and trade cooperation between China and Australia, as well as China and Queensland, is vibrant and promising. I am full of confidence in the future of China-Australia and China-Queensland relations and will make every effort to further enhance bilateral people to people and cultural exchanges, local cooperation, and economic and trade interactions.

Thank You for your kind attention.