Sino-Australian relations refers to the relations between the Commonwealth of Australia and the People's Republic of China. The relationship between China and Australia have grown considerably over the years. Both countries are actively engaged economically, cultural and politically which spans numerous organizations such as APEC, East Asia Summit and the G20. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on 21 December 1972. Today, China is Australia's largest trading partner. China has one of the largest foreign reserves in the world, and has invested in Australian mining companies to help meet the needs of their growing economy. History Diplomatic relations between Australia and the People's Republic of China began in December 1972, after Gough Whitlam followed President of the United States Richard Nixon's lead in ceasing to recognize the government of Chiang Kai-shek. Since imperial times, Chinese people from mainly Guangdong province in southern China have migrated to Australia since the late 1700s and boomed in the Victorian gold rush era. Australia during the 18th to the early 20th century were colonies later dominion of the United Kingdom and focused her attention towards Europe and America. It was under the Whitlam Government that Australia began formal diplomatic ties with China in 1975 and downgraded its relationship with the Republic of China on Taiwan. Australia's ties to China include those of Hong Kong which date back to when both were under British rule. China and Australia were the final two bidders for the 2000 Olympics. Australia subsequently won and Sydney hosted the 2000 Olympics. Eight years later, China hosted the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Since the Chinese economic reforms initiated by the late Deng Xiaoping, Australia has benefited from the Chinese appetite for natural resources to modernise its economy, infrastructure and meet its growing energy demands. In 2009, it is estimated the trade and investment with China brings benefits under $4000 per Australian household, in 2011, this is estimated to be A$10,500 per household per year. Australia is one of the few countries in the world during the Global financial crisis that was not in recession and experienced economic growth due to large demand and long term strong fundamentals from China. Cultural Relations Australia has been a haven for Chinese migrants for centuries who have, in the modern day, established themselves as a significant minority group in Australian society. There are now large numbers of Australian-born Chinese and Chinese-born migrants/Australian Citizens in the cities of Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane with small Chinese communities in regional centres, particularly in Victoria, and New South Wales. There are also Chinatowns in every Australian capital city, including Darwin and large, public Chinese New Year Celebrations in Melbourne and Sydney. The former Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd also has strong connections with Chinese culture having studied Chinese at the Australian National University in Canberra. He also speaks fluent Mandarin. China has established many Confucius Institutes with Australia universities in major capital cities in Australia to foster better cultural ties. Education Relations Australia began accepting Chinese students for tertiary education in 1986 in English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS). Several thousands Chinese were studying in Australia in 1987. In the aftermath of Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, the Australian government granted protection for many Chinese students in Australia. Since then, Australia has become one of the biggest markets for Chinese students for tertiary education. In early 2011, there were over 126,000 Chinese students in Australia and they made up 26 percent of the total foreign students. As of September 2011, there were 150,000 Chinese students studying at Australia tertiary institutions. The Australian education export market was worth 2009/10 A$19 billion. Economic relations China is Australia's biggest trading partner mainly due to China's strong demand for iron ore, coal and liquefied natural gas. Exports to China helped Australia escape the worst effects of the global economic meltdown over the past two years. Many major Australian mining companies rely heavily on China and other growing big economies such as India for exports. These companies include Fortescue Metals Group, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton and Xstrata who have major Australian operations. China exports mainly clothing, telecommunications equipment and components, computers, toys, prams and sporting equipment. The bilateral trade between the two countries is worth A$105 billion in 2010/2011. Australia's exports to China totaled A$64.8 billion, while China's export to Australia was worth A$41.1 billion in 2010-2011 period. Attribution: Article text available under CC-BY-SA Creative Commons image source in video

• published: 14 Nov 2013
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