Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bushby for his question. Thanks to the leadership of our Liberal-National government, the business-to-business ties between Australia and China are stronger than they have ever been. It was our government that sealed the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement. In doing so we have seen a supercharging of the Australian economic relationship with China. This was on show very clearly in Shanghai at the China International Import Expo last month. Australian businesses were there at that expo in force. Indeed, Australia was in the top three in terms of countries for products exhibited at this major event hosted by China. We stood there alongside Japan and Korea, having the largest single presence at this expo in product presence. Significant businesses have enjoyed great success, such as the Tasmanian business Bellamy's Organic. There was a strong presence across apparel, accessories and consumers goods in some business areas, medical equipment and medical care products, services including education—all different businesses representing the different streams of Australia's rich and deep economic relationship with China. Whilst there I was pleased to witness the signing of almost a dozen MOUs worth around $15 billion in terms of Australia's continued economic relationship with China. Blackmores, ANZ, Tourism Australia in partnership with China Eastern Airlines, Austrade in partnership with Suning—all of them demonstrating that we have even further to go in terms of strengthening and growing the Australia-China relationship. And it is not just the economic ties; the people-to-people ties are being strengthened as a result of this partnership too. In the year to March, 1.4 million Chinese visitors came to Australia and 185,000 Chinese students studied in Australia—great signals for the strength of this relationship into the future.