Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today congratulated Australian businesses involved in preparations for the Olympic Games and pledged continuing Australian Government support to further strengthen trade and economic links with China.
The Prime Minister made the comments as he officially opened Business Club of Australia (BCA) Beijing 2008 - the government's official business program for the Olympics.
More than 40 Australian companies secured contracts to assist with the Beijing games, including PTW Architects which designed the Beijing National Aquatics Centre - (the ‘Watercube') - and Athletes Village.
Other projects Australian companies have worked on included the design of the National Aquatics Centre; the International Tennis Centre and Athletes Village; transport planning; engineering works; financial and telecommunications services and security.
At the BCA Beijing 2008 event the Prime Minister witnessed the signing ceremonies for two memorandums of understanding (MOUs) between Australian and Chinese companies.
One agreement involves AIMS Financial Group and a commercial arm of Beijing University that will establish a joint venture funds management company to invest in biotechnology.
The other MOU between National Australia Bank (NAB) and the Agricultural Development Bank of China (ADBC) is the first between an Australian bank and a Chinese financial institution in the area of agri-finance.
The Rudd Government is committed to further strengthening Australia's economic relationship with China - already our largest trading partner with two-way trade in 2007 valued at $58 billion and Australian exports valued at $27.7 billion