CPAFFC President Lin Songtian attends ACFS 2022 National Conference

Jin Hanghang

O n June 11， Lin Songtian， president of the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries， was invited to attend the opening ceremony of the Australia China Friendship Society 2022 National Conference online and deliver a keynote speech.

Opening remarks were made by Mark McGowan， premier of the state of Western Australia； Robin Matthews， president of the ACFS； Anthony Leong， secretary-general of the Pacific China Friendship Association； and Xiao Qian， Chinese ambassador to Australia. More than 200 guests from all walks of life in Australia attended the event， including Simon Wu， president of the Western Australia branch of ACFS， and Long Dingbin， consul general of China in Perth.

Lin conveyed his congratulations on the success of the conference. He commended the ACFS for staying true to its original aspiration and contributing to China-Australia friendship for over 70 years. He also expressed heartfelt thanks to friends from all sec- tors who have long been committed to promoting friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.

“This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries，” Lin said. “Over the past five decades， under the guidance of the leaders of both countries， we have maintained frequent high-level exchanges， and our economic， trade， cultural and subnational cooperation have borne fruitful results， bringing great benefits to our two peoples.

“The history and reality of ChinaAustralia relations have proved that even though the two sides differ in their social systems， ideologies and cultural values， we can achieve peaceful coexistence， win-win cooperation and common development so long as we respect each other and seek common ground while reserving differences.”

He noted that Chinese civilization has lasted for more than 5，000 years and developed such core values as “be- nevolence， people-orientation， integrity， sound reasoning， harmony， unity， diversity and integration”. This is the unique cultural power that has enabled the Chinese nation to overcome all kinds of difficulties and challenges and maintain strong vigor and vitality， he added. It is also the fundamental reason the Communist Party of China has stayed true to its original aspirations and mission of pursuing happiness for the Chinese people， rejuvenation for the Chinese nation and the common good for the world. Its also why it has adhered to its people-centered philosophy and way of peaceful development， pioneering a unique Chinese path to modernization and developing a new model for human advancement.

“The CPC rallied the Chinese people and led them to follow the path of peaceful development， reform and opening-up， and to take economic development as the central task. The CPC has fulfilled its first centenary goal， as 1.4 billion Chinese people now enjoy a moderately prosperous life in all respects，” Lin said.

“Faced with a pandemic unseen in a century that has ravaged the world， China contained it at minimum cost and with the most effective measures. We took measures to the greatest extent to protect peoples lives and health， and coordinated COVID-19 prevention and control with economic and social development scientifically and effectively.”

He noted that China is committed to peaceful development， promoting world peace and prosperity through its own development and pursuing winwin cooperation for common development with other countries. In this regard， he said， President Xi Jinping has proposed a series of new ideas， made new proposals and suggested new measures， including the Belt and Road Initiative， the Global Development Initiative， the Global Security Initiative and the Initiative for Building a New Type of International Relations and a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind.

“These have yielded tangible and solid results benefiting the people of developing countries in Asia， Africa， Latin America and the South Pacific Islands，” he said. “Chinas foreign policies and actions， which are committed to win-win cooperation for common development， are in line with the expectations of the governments and people of developing countries. This is the fundamental reason why Chinas foreign policy is so well-received.”

Taking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties as a new starting point and the official implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership as a new opportunity， Lin said， the CPAFFC would like to partner with friends of China and Australia to make endeavors in the following areas：

First， he said， we will carry on people-to-people and cultural exchanges to enhance mutual understanding， friendship and trust between the two peoples.

Second， we will strive to deepen cooperation between sister cities for the common development of China and Australia.

Third， we will promote more co- operation with friendly organizations and build more bridges for friendly communication between the two peoples.

Fourth， we will push forward trilateral cooperation for regional peace and prosperity.

Mark McGowan said that Western Australia and China enjoy strong trade ties， great potential for cooperation and mutually beneficial exchanges in various fields. Since 2006， China has been Western Australias largest trading partner. Sixty percent of its total exports go to China， accounting for 80 percent of Australias total exports to China. China has always been an important trading partner for Australia and for Western Australia in particular.

“I have visited China many times. China is developing rapidly and has a promising future，” he said. “The Western Australian government is committed to strengthening exchanges and cooperation between the local governments of the two countries and contributing to the development of bilateral relations. I will also make positive efforts to promote friendship between the Australian and Chinese people.”

Robin Matthews noted that 50 years ago Australia and China established diplomatic ties. Since then， cooperation in the economic， trade， education and people-to-people fields has yielded fruitful results.

“However， due to political reasons， anti-China forces keep hyping up， and misunderstanding and prejudice against China are deepening， which we do not want to see，” she said.

“The Australia China Friendship Society will continue to play its role as a bridge to enhance mutual understanding and trust and maintain the friendship between the two peoples. It is hoped that the new government will open dialogue and cooperation with China with the same enthusiasm.”

Xiao Qian said， “This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Australia diplomatic relations. We have written a success story of friendly cooperation. Mutual benefit and win-win results have always been the mainline of our bilateral relations.”

At present， Xiao said， ChinaAustralia relations are at a new juncture of development， facing many challenges but even greater opportunities. A healthy and stable relationship serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples and is crucial to the stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region. As long as the two sides follow the right development direction， uphold the principles of mutual respect and mutual benefit， step up dialogue and communication and properly handle differences， relations will surely embrace an even brighter future.

Founded in 1951， the Australia China Friendship Society is Australias earliest friendship organization with China. It has branches in eight Australian states and is committed to friendly relations with China. It has maintained long-term friendly exchanges and cooperation with the CPAFFC.