Daniel Andrews, former Premier of Australian state of Victoria, expressed his admiration for China commitment to a high-quality and sustainable growth model and reiterated his strong support for closer China-Australia cooperation, particularly in the area of energy transition.
In an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Beijing on March 20 ahead of the 2025 China Development Forum, which will be held in Beijing from Monday to Tuesday, Andrews shared his insights on China's high-quality development and its role in the global green transition.
"China Development Forum is always a great opportunity [for us] to hear firsthand from very senior Chinese leadership about the priorities for the coming year. Obviously, the two sessions was held very recently and we're coming to the end of a five-year plan. And next year we'll have a new one. So, it's always very good to hear about what China's priorities are. And we know that President Xi and Premier Li have spoken at length about high-quality growth, changing the drivers of economic growth. So, it'll be great to hear from different leaders in different fields, not just from the China side, but from right around the world about things like high technology, energy transition. And now there's a key focus this year in relation to health and trying to provide better services and build a better health system right across China," Andrews said.
As a reformer who spearheaded Victoria's shift away from fossil fuels, he expressed particular interest at the forum in transitioning heavy industry away from high-emitting fossil fuels.
"From my point of view, one of the most important areas is of course transitioning heavy industry away from fossil fuels and making an energy transition for the broader Chinese community and indeed the world, away from very high-emitting fossil fuels to really important renewable energy," said the former premier.
He praised China's new quality productive forces as a transformative model, stressing that China's progress in renewable energy deserves far greater global recognition.
"It's really important to see President Xi as well as other senior leaders across China so consistently speak about changing the way economic growth occurs. To not just be focused on the old ways, but to be increasingly focused on high productivity and quality, not just in inputs, but quality from an outcome point of view. That of course means that the energy transition, moving away from fossil fuels and having a much cleaner and greener and more sustainable future, one that comes in at a much lower cost, both in terms of dollars, but also air quality, people's health, and indeed the health of the planet. It's very encouraging to say that's not just been one speech on one day. That is a really consistent theme, as you say, a buzz phrase. I'm really looking forward to hearing more about how the Chinese central government sees that unfolding in the years to come," he said.
He observed that, considering China's track record of massive investments and significant transformations, the country often doesn't receive the international credit and recognition it truly deserves.
Andrews voiced his support to the Belt and Road Initiative, emphasizing the importance of closer partnerships between China and Australia.
"I'm very proud of our support for a number of very important initiatives. I've always been a supporter of a closer relationship, a closer partnership between China and not just the state of Victoria, but Australia more broadly. And there are many different ways in which we can achieve that," he said.
He highlighted the potential for formal cooperation in key issues, particularly in energy transition and decarbonizing heavy industries, while also stressing the value of cultural exchange and improved trade efficiency as crucial steps toward deeper collaboration.
"For me, I think one of the key parts of that next step is some formal cooperation, formal agreement between our two countries in relation to the energy transition, decarbonizing heavy industry, and moving away from fossil fuels and being much more supportive and sharing in the clear and demonstrated benefits of wind and solar and battery storage. That's really, very, very important. There are many other examples, many other ways in which we can cooperate. We can have our trade become much more efficient through licensing and through permitting through those sorts of things. Cultural exchange is very important as well. When we spend time in each other's countries learning, doing research, studying, traveling, then we become, I think, much closer friends," said Andrews.
Former Australian official lauds China's high-quality growth model, hoping for closer bilateral cooperation
