Gillard to outline regional vision in Beijing speech

Posted April 09, 2013 06:11:12

Prime Minister Julia Gillard will call for trilateral military exercises between China, the United States and Australia, alongside greater cooperation across a range of areas, when she gives a major speech in Beijing today.

Ms Gillard is due to set out her vision for the long-term relationship between China and Australia at a lunch hosted by the China Australia Chamber of Commerce and the Australia China Business Council.

The Prime Minister will tell the audience that she sees Australia's partnership with China moving well beyond the economy and into the trade of skills, knowledge and education.

"We know a rapidly urbanising nation like China finds a welcome friend in a nation rich in coal and iron ore like Australia," Ms Gillard will say.

"Yet urbanisation isn't just an economic or technological change, it's a vast social transformation: a nation building cities is also a nation living in cities."

Ms Gillard says Australia can share its knowledge to help China develop in a sustainable way.

"So in the decade ahead, I want China to find in Australia a welcome friend rich in the skills and knowledge which underpin civic life: from regulatory and legal standards for urban planning and construction, to health and welfare services, to complex infrastructure like water management and sanitation."

Throughout this trip to China the Prime Minister has been keen to emphasise not just the economic connections between the two countries, but also the potential for social connections.

Defence ties

But today the Prime Minister will also address her hopes for a closer defence relationship.

The Australian Navy first held a live-fire exercise with the Chinese military three years ago, and Ms Gillard would like to see that extended.

"Our shared interests in aid and development in the Pacific, along with our growing naval co-operation and skills and experience in disaster relief and recovery, will be a major asset to the region," Ms Gillard will tell the audience.

"In the coming decade, our cooperation will continue to grow – over time we would like to see this extend to trilateral exercises, including with the United States."

Ms Gillard will point to the potential in growing closer links in carbon pricing and climate policy, education science and training, and helping to maintain regional security.

But she will also acknowledge the differences that will remain between China and Australia, despite the growing closeness of the relationship.

"Our different national conditions will inevitably lead to differences from time to time, including over human rights," she will say.

"As partners, we engage each other with deep respect. We will acknowledge our differences and manage them constructively. We have done this for years."

Julia Gillard has made it clear she would like to establish a formal leaders dialogue with China, to help shape the strategic relationship in the years ahead.

After meeting President Xi Jinping on Sunday, the Prime Minister said discussions would continue, but the state-owned Chinese media reported that an agreement had been reached.

Ms Gillard will tell the business lunch today that new structures of political dialogues can be reached in the decade ahead.

She will meet China’s new Premier, Li Keqiang today, where it appears progress will be made towards developing those annual talks.

Topics: federal-government, government-and-politics, world-politics, foreign-affairs, trade, business-economics-and-finance, defence-and-national-security, china, australia