Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Smith for his question. Australia, of course, is committed to a constructive relationship with China, which is founded on shared interests and mutual respect. It is a complex, dynamic relationship that engages a range of national interests. China's rise over the past 40 years has been overwhelmingly beneficial for its people and the region, including Australia. From almost zero trade 40 years ago, China is Australia's largest export market, taking a third of all our merchandise exports, and our largest market for services, primarily tourism and education. It is also our fifth largest source of direct investment. As significant as it is, our relationship with China is much broader than trade and investment, and occasionally we have differences, but we manage those on the basis of mutual respect.

I note that this government and China designated the relationship as a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2014. The breadth of this contemporary relationship was reflected in my discussions with my counterpart state councillor and foreign minister Wang Yi in Beijing last week at the fifth foreign and strategic dialogue. Australia and China are engaging on a broad set of national interests—regional stability and development, economic growth, law enforcement and security, scientific research and, of course, people-to-people links, which go back many, many years between our countries. The discussions followed Minister Birmingham's successful visit to Shanghai to attend the extremely impressive inaugural import expo, which saw literally hundreds of thousands of visitors in Shanghai. The Prime Minister will have further opportunities to engage with Chinese and regional leaders at the forthcoming APEC East Asia Summit and the G20 meetings. Our engagement reflects our continued practical commitment to deepening our relationship with China.