FM: China marks new opportunities for Australia

China is accelerating its pace on the Chinese path to modernization, which "will bring new opportunities for development to neighbors, including Australia", Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday.

Wang made the remarks during a meeting with Australian New South Wales Premier Chris Minns in Sydney.

Wang said that relations between countries, after all, are interactions between their peoples.

The foundation of China-Australia relations lies in the people, and there has always been broad public support, he said.

He mentioned that New South Wales has always been a pioneer at the forefront of China-Australia interactions, and is playing a model role in China-Australia cooperation.

Wang said what impressed him most about his visit to Australia was that the ruling and opposition parties, the business and strategic communities, officials and ordinary people "all support strengthening China-Australia dialogue and cooperation in various fields, and all support improving and developing China-Australia relations".

He said Beijing is willing to work with Canberra to consolidate and expand cooperation in conventional areas while seeking new areas of growth in cooperation such as science and technology innovation, coping with climate change and green transformation, as well as strengthening cultural exchanges in education and tourism.

He expressed his hope that New South Wales will "continue to play a pioneering role" in deepening the friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Minns said New South Wales has benefited a lot from China's economic development and Australia-China cooperation.

New South Wales supports the improvement and development of the relationship between the two countries and is willing to further deepen the interaction between localities with the Chinese side, and strengthen cooperation in the areas of economy and trade, education, tourism and natural resources.

He said he welcomes more Chinese students and tourists to visit New South Wales.