Op-Ed Contributors

Gillard's first Asian tour

By Han Feng (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-04-27 07:59
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Australia and China should strengthen and broaden cooperation to ensure regional stability and prosperity

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard is in China on the final leg of her three-nation Asian tour.

As her second major diplomatic tour since replacing Kevin Rudd as Australia's prime minister on June 24, 2010, Gillard's Asian tour, which also took in Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK), underscores the important role East Asia plays on the Australian government's diplomatic chessboard.

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Gillard's first visit after taking office was to the United States, demonstrating Australia's US-tilted foreign policy and security strategy. However, East Asia has assumed an increasingly prominent position in Australia's foreign policy in recent years.

It is close economic ties with East Asian countries such as China that have helped Australia maintain its steady economic development. Exports to East Asian countries accounted for 67.3 percent of Australia's total exports in 2010, while imports from the region accounted for 52.4 percent of its total imports.

With the rapid development of economic and trade ties with China in recent years, China has replaced Japan as Australia's most important trading partner.

Gillard's trip has come at a time when East Asian cooperation and integration have entered a crucial stage, as indicated by the trilateral cooperation among China, Japan and the ROK and their bilateral free trade areas. The expanded East Asian Summit membership, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and other cooperative mechanisms have also strengthened the cooperation among East Asian nations.

For Australia, participating in this East Asian cooperation is of vital importance and smooth coordination with China will help facilitate and expedite this.

China and Australia are both members of many multilateral cooperative mechanisms, such as the East Asia Summit, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the G20 and they share common interests. China's ongoing economic restructuring and its efforts to transform its development model will also benefit Australia's industrial and economic development.

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