Speech by Consul-General Zhao Jian at the 2018 Australia-China Youth Dialogue

尊敬的琳达·德绍州督阁下， 

来自中澳两国的青年朋友们：

　　我很荣幸应邀出席今天的2018年中澳青年对话开幕式。自2010年设立以来，这一对话平台为中澳两国各行业的优秀青年提供了互相了解和开展思想碰撞的机会，搭建了跨文化交流和发展长期友谊的桥梁。出席今年对话的双方代表有许多是中澳各领域合作的亲身参与者。大家共聚一堂，为中澳关系发展建言献策，这让我对中澳长期友好、合作共赢的未来充满信心。

The Hon Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria, 

Young Friends from China and Australia,

Good afternoon.

It is an honour for me to join you at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Australia-China Youth Dialogue.

Since its inception in 2010, the Dialogue has served as a platform for young talents from different sectors in China and Australia to meet and exchange views with each other, building bridges for inter-cultural exchanges and long-term friendship.

Many of you present here today have been personally involved in China-Australia cooperation in various fields. The brainstorming you are going to have here will contribute positively to the development of our relations and you are the reason why we are full of confidence about a future of enduring friendship and mutually-beneficial cooperation between our two countries.

　　中澳两国自1972年建交以来，双方交往合作取得长足进展，给两国人民带来了实实在在的利益。中国已连续多年成为澳大利亚最大贸易伙伴、最大出口市场和最大进口来源国。每年双方人员往来已超过200万人次，有约20万中国学生在澳大利亚留学。经澳大利亚政府“新科伦坡计划”资助赴华留学的澳大利亚青年有近8000人。两国青年一代已经成为中澳合作重要的参与者、贡献者和受益者。

Since China and Australia established diplomatic relations in 1972, considerable progress has been made in our exchanges and cooperation, which has spurred our respective economies and brought real benefits to our people.

China has been Australia's largest trading partner, largest export market and largest source of import for many years in a row. As things now stand, there are more than two million mutual visits between us each year, about 200 thousand Chinese students are studying in Australia, and nearly 8,000 Australian students have gone to study in China under the sponsorship of the New Colombo Plan initiated by the Australian government. The young people have become important participants, contributors and beneficiaries in the development of China-Australia cooperation.