Insights | China-Australia win-win relationship is the way to go: Australian scholar

(ECNS) -- China's importance in the world will only grow in future, and a win-win relationship is obviously the way to go, said Roland Boer, an Australian scholar and professor at Renmin University of China, in an exclusive interview with China News Network in Wuyishan, Nanping City of East China's Fujian Province, on Thursday. 

Boer was in Wuyishan to attend the First Wuyi Forum, hosted by Renmin University of China. It kicked off in Nanping, on Thursday and will last till Sunday.

Themed "The Two Integrations and Modern Chinese Civilization," the forum has attracted guests from home and abroad to discuss Chinese literary lineage and the diversity of civilizations.

Boer mentioned Chinese Foreign Ministry Wang Yi's recent visit to Canberra, capital of Australia. The visit followed Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit to China in November 2023.

Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, the obstacles encountered in China-Australia relations have been overcome one by one and outstanding issues are being properly resolved, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples and injecting new impetus into the China-Australia.

These are very good signs and it’s hoped that they can focus on the common ground and put aside differences to be discussed over the long term, Boer said.

The scholar pointed out these developments in the last few years are very good because they got rather difficult for a while.

Boer noted that China has been for a long time Australia’s number one trading partner and the economy is a highly complementary.

What's more, "the Labour Party in Australia has got a history of a more independent foreign policy. They are realizing that Australia is actually a country that’s geographically in southeast Asia, closest relationship in southeast Asia, east Asia and the Pacific," Boer explained.

There are big changes taking place in the world. One of those that they're becoming much more aware of and having to make policy decisions about is the decline of the United States. In fact, the United States is ripped now in a multidimensional crisis, he added.

"There’s an awareness of Australia that it needs to develop a clearer, independent position in the world, independent foreign policy. It means getting on better with the nearest neighbors in Australia, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, China. Especially China is the most important in that," Boer said.

Looking forward, Boer said he expects Australia and China will deepen cooperation in such areas as green energy and people-to-people exchanges to promote the stable development of bilateral relations.