Foreword from the Consul-General of the People's Republic of China in Melbourne

Victoria has always been at the forefront among Australian states in developing relations with China.

Learning with pleasure that the Victorian Government is set to release a new China Strategy, I, as the Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China in Melbourne, would like to extend my warmest congratulations on this good news. I hold high expectations for the future and look forward with great confidence to ever closer cooperation between China and Victoria.

In 2016, the Victorian Government released its China Strategy, which significantly deepened the partnership between Victoria and China. Victoria’s sister-state relationships with Jiangsu and Sichuan continue to flourish, while city-to-city cooperation, showcased by Melbourne’s collaboration with Tianjin, Nanjing, and Chengdu, is also thriving.

China has remained Victoria’s largest trading partner for many years, accounting for around one quarter of Victoria’s total international trade. China is also Victoria’s largest international tourism market and source of international students. Over 400,000 Chinese tourists visited Victoria between April 2024 and March 2025, and more than 60,000 Chinese students pursued their studies across the State. Moreover, the vibrant Chinese community of around 450,000 people has made a significant contribution to Victoria’s economic, social, and cultural development, serving as a vital bridge for promoting exchanges and cooperation between Victoria and China.

China is steadily advancing its Chinese modernisation, promoting high-quality development, accelerating the development of new quality productivity, and promoting high-level opening-up. These new developments will bring fresh and continuous impetus to cooperation between China and Victoria, and the launch of the new Victorian China Strategy is an opportunity to further strengthen cooperation with Victoria. With a more proactive and open attitude, we will extend the list of mutually beneficial cooperation, expand the pie of complementary strengths, and enable cooperation to deliver more fruitful and accessible benefit to both peoples.

The hope of the China-Australia relationship lies in the people, its foundation is in our societies, its future depends on the youth, and its vitality comes from exchanges at subnational levels. Subnational cooperation is an integral part of the China-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and plays a vital role in promoting bilateral relations. At present, thanks to the joint efforts of China and Australia, the relationship between the two countries maintains a positive momentum of improvement and development. This creates a favourable environment for cooperation between China and Victoria, while the deepening of China-Victoria relations will, in turn, provide greater impetus for the further development of China-Australia relations.

I am convinced that the successful implementation of this new China Strategy will elevate Victoria’s cooperation with China to a new high, and we will see more opportunities and successes of such joint endeavour. My colleagues at the Consulate-General and I myself will work tirelessly to forge ahead the sustained growth of Victoria’s collaboration with China!