Thank you very much.
To Vice President Xi Jinping, members of your delegation, fellow Members of Parliament, friends of Australia, friends of China, ladies and gentlemen.
It gives me great pleasure to launch the 2010 Australia-China Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum.
I hope Australia's welcome to our friends from China has been warm enough to protect you from Canberra's cold weather.
The overwhelming enthusiasm of today's forum and with so many people here present, and the scale of the Chinese delegation that is here today, is a reflection of Australia and China's shared commitment to our trade and economic ties.
As you saw recently during the worst economic downturn in 75 years, if we are going to face the global economic challenges of our time, then we must do so together. At a time when international trade was suffering, total trade between Australia and China grew by 15.1 per cent to $85 billion in 2009.
Merchandising (inaudible) from China grew even as Australia's total imports fell and our resource exports to China boomed taking Australia's merchandise exports up by over 30 per cent to more than $42 billion.
I could go on citing figures but the long and short of it is that these gains came about through the hard work and commitment of all of you here in this room. People who understand the promise of not just strong economic relations but of also building the people-to-people ties which underpin them.
For this and for the service you have done for the Australian and Chinese people, by expanding bilateral cooperation on trade and economic matters I thank you.
As I watched the opening ceremony at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 I saw China emerging on to the world stage. The remarkable transformations that we've seen in China were on display for all to see, these changes are of world significance. Our relationship stretches back a long time but we have a strong future ahead of us as well, and I'd encourage each person here to participate in this dialogue which is so important to our trade and economic relationships.