Dynamic Export

One of China’s most important leaders, Jia Qinglin has used his recent visit to Australia to stress China’s commitment to reach a free trade agreement between the two nations.

The Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference was in Western Australia to meet with Premier Colin Barnett. Addressing a group of business and political leaders, China’s fourth-highest ranking leader said China placed high importance on the negotiations.

“We will not waver in our political will and resolve to push the negotiations forward. We hope that the two sides will follow the spirit of being proactive, practical, balanced and mutually beneficial and strive for an early conclusion of an agreement acceptable to both sides,” he said.

China and Australia have been working towards an FTA since 2005. The last round of negotiations was held in 2010, but stalled over issues including greater market access for Australian agricultural produce and Australian manufacturers’ concerns over opening the door to a wave of cheaper Chinese imports.

Jia warned the Premier that China was still at the primary stages of socialism and would remain so for the immediate future. He outlined some of the problems China faced with achieving modernisation.

“China has an 800 million labour force (which is) equivalent to the sum total of the working age population in all developed countries. This has put us under constraint, [with] mounting employment pressure. The challenges and problems we face in the course of development have rarely been seen elsewhere in the world in terms of magnitude and complexity.”

Barnett acknowledged that the strong Australian dollar posed a challenge for trade, but said he expected WA to continue to lead the nation in its relationship with China. Seventy percent of all Australia’s exports to China come from the mining state, while 80 percent of Chinese investment in Australia is in WA.

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