A reflection from the 14th ACYD

A unique lens of Australia-China Bilateral relations

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer.

Background

Attending the 14th Australia-China Youth Dialogue is truly a privilege. With thirty brightest minds hailing from Australia and China across various fields, we gathered together in Adelaide from 22nd November to 25th November, 2024.

A beautiful bird's-eye view from the red centre, while I was stop over Alice Spring Airport en route to Adelaide

At the time of the blossoming season of jacaranda in Adelaide, we were fortunate to hear the views from prestigious speakers over the sixteen sessions within the theme of “Planning for the Future by Learning from the Past” (Chinese:从过去，见未来). This Dialogue covered a range of topics from re-engagement between two nations, heated geo-political tensions to arts and sustainability.

Site Visit - Wolf Blass Winery

As an agricultural professional, visiting the Wolf Blass Winery was one of the most memorable highlights.

According to the South Australian Government website, South Australia contributed 67 per cent to the total value of Australian wines exports, which reached $2.32 billion (up 14.65 per cent).

China remains an important two-way trading partner for South Australia with merchandise exports the highest on record at $4.23 billion to the end of June 2024.[1]

For many Australian agricultural producers, particularly the wine industry, China is a major player in the global commodity market. Even though the trade disputes and many efforts into market diversification over the last couple of years, Chinese market still dominates the shares of Australia’s exports destinations - as Australia’s exports to China rose 18% to a record $219 billion in 2023, or 32% of total exports according to Export Finance Australia[2].

Learning about how to make wine!

Take-home Message

In our last day, our journey reached its climax when Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, the 36th Governor of South Australia, hosted a reception at South Australian Government House. She was also the 12th Australian Ambassador to China from 2011 to 2015.

Government House View

Throughout the Dialogue, we learnt many perspectives on Australia-China Bilateral relations. For both nations, there is no doubt that only the co-operation brings prosperity and mutual benefits. Amidst the rise of populism and protectionism, we need to cherish the peaceful moments we have. After all, there is still room for potential collaborations.

In the end, although there are many differences between two nations, keeping engaging plays a pivotal and centric role in building a stable bilateral relationship between Australia and China.

A relationship where we can cooperate where we can, disagree where we must, and engage in the national interest. [3]

Acknowledgement

The author would like to acknowledge the management team from Australia-China Youth Dialogue for organising and curating this fantastic event so seamlessly. The author also would like to thank to all supporters and sponsors for making this event possible, particularly the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations (NFACR) (Chinese: 澳中基金会).

References

[1] South Australian Government Department of State Development (2024, August 22) SA’s wine exports flow past $1.5 billion, South Australian Government Department of State Development, https://statedevelopment.sa.gov.au/news/sas-wine-exports-flow-past-1-5-billion.
[2] Export Finance Australia (2024, July) China—Record imports from Australia, but economic headwinds mount, Export Finance Australia, https://www.exportfinance.gov.au/resources/world-risk-developments/2024/july/china-record-imports-from-australia-but-economic-headwinds-mount/.
[3] Wong, P. (2024, August 16) Opening remarks at the eighth Australia-China High Level Dialogue, Minister for Foreign Affairs, https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/penny-wong/speech/opening-remarks-eighth-australia-china-high-level-dialogue.

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