China and Australia held the Fourth Strategic Economic Dialog in Beijing on Thursday, with both sides standing ready for furthering engagement and boosting cooperation.
Zheng Shanjie, director of China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and visiting Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers co-chaired the dialog, which was the first in seven years between the two countries.
Zheng and Chalmers discussed the global economic environment, growth outlook and policy settings of their respective economies, with both acknowledging the strong economic complementarity between the two sides.
Zheng said China-Australia ties are characterized by mutual benefit and win-win results, and that the development of both nations presents an opportunity, rather than a challenge, to each other.
"In the past three Strategic Economic Dialogs, namely in 2014, 2015 and 2017, we conducted in-depth exchanges on a series of important issues such as the global economy and bilateral economic relations between our two nations, as well as investment and cooperation, which have provided strong support for upgrading our level of bilateral cooperation," he said at the dialog.
He stressed that the dialog demonstrates the two countries' efforts to implement the important understanding reached by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in their meeting in Beijing last November.
Chalmers, who is on a visit to China from Thursday to Friday, said Australia recognizes that a big part of seizing opportunities over the coming decade is collaborating with its partners, including China.
"We come to this understanding that Australia and China have complementary economies. As our largest trading partner, we have a deep interest in China's continued and stable economic growth and a deep interest in finding ways to continue cooperating where we can. This dialog is an important opportunity to do just that," he said.
The two signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the ongoing cooperation at all levels, including sharing knowledge and experience on economic policies, and agreed to hold the dialog annually to build on the positive momentum in a wide range of areas.
China, Australia hold 4th strategic economic dialog in Beijing
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told an event Wednesday at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York that China stands ready to deepen cooperation with all parties within the framework of the Global Development Initiative (GDI), a proposal put forward three years ago at the United Nations by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Addressing the event themed "Global Development Initiative Supports the Global South -- China in Action," Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that over the past three years since the inception of the GDI, it has evolved from a Chinese proposition to an international consensus, and from a cooperation concept to joint actions, contributing China's solutions and injecting Chinese strength into the implementation of the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The initiative has continuously consolidated the consensus on giving priority to prioritizing development, becoming a vivid practice of building a community with a shared future for mankind in the field of development, Wang said.
Noting the support and participation of over 100 countries and 20 international organization in the GDI, as well as the initiative's remarkable mechanism-building achievement, Wang said that no country can be left behind in the worldwide modernization process, and that the GDI prioritizes supporting the development and revitalization of countries in the Global South.
China stands ready to deepen cooperation with all parties within the GDI and accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, so that the gains of modernization will benefit every country and every person, Wang said.
Also attending the event, Philemon Yang, president of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, said that the China-proposed GDI has shown strong leadership and received support from many countries.
The initiative is of great significance as it provides a new path to accelerate the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals and help countries in the Global South, Yang added.
The event was also attended by UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Li Junhua, and ministerial-level officials from more than 20 countries, including Laos, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Burundi, Uganda, Burkina Faso, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba.
China ready to deepen cooperation with all parties within GDI: Chinese FM
