Speech
Shanghai, 10 November 2002
The Launch of the Australian Friendship Collection
Thank you David [David Irvine, Australian Ambassador to China]. Vice
Mayor of Shanghai, Mr Zhou (JOE),Director General, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Mr He (HER), Director, Shanghai Library, Dr Wu (WOO), Assistant
Director General, Shanghai Foreign Affairs Office, Madam Xia (SHAR),
Governor of New South Wales, Her Excellency, Professor Marie Bashir,
Senator Tsebin Tchen, Consul General Sam Gerovich, distinguished guests,
ladies and gentlemen.
It's a great pleasure to be here today to mark the launch of the
Australian Friendship Collection.
It is a particular pleasure to be speaking here at the Shanghai Library.
I understand it is one of the largest municipal libraries in the
world; with vast resources - from ancient Chinese texts to the latest
CD-ROMs - that embrace both the past and the future of this great
nation.
Australia was delighted, in this 30th anniversary year of the establishment
of diplomatic relations between Australia and the People's Republic
of China, to accept an invitation to be the first foreign nation to
present a week of cultural events at the China Shanghai International
Arts Festival.
This 30th anniversary is an important milestone in the
bilateral relationship. It celebrates three decades of strong – and
growing – links, three decades of political dialogue, trade, and cultural
exchange between our two nations.
I am therefore particularly pleased to present a permanent collection
of Australian material to the Shanghai Library as an enduring legacy
of this important anniversary and as a mark of friendship between
our two nations.
This inaugural collection of over 800 books and periodicals will
provide an opportunity for the 9,000 or so people who visit the Library
daily to deepen their understanding of Australia in all its rich diversity.
Indeed the collection will provide a wealth of information on Australian
society, politics, business, science, environment and culture.
It will be an important resource for the increasing number of Chinese
students taking courses in Australian studies.
The collection will be a valuable source of information on Australia's
approach to issues such as economic reform, trade liberalisation and
globalisation, and provide reference points that will inform China's
approach to its own ongoing reform process.
I can think of no better legacy for these 30th anniversary
celebrations.
I would like to thank our host, the Shanghai Library, in particular
the Director of the Library, Dr Wu (WOO), for the support he has shown
this project.
And I would like to thank the major sponsor of this gift, the Australia-China
Council, as well as the Australia International Cultural Council and
the ANZ Bank in Shanghai, for their generous support.
I would also like to acknowledge Dr Brian Kennedy, Director of the
National Gallery of Australia –who is with us here today – for donating
a number of splendid books on Australian art to the collection. Also
with us are two noted Australian authors, Tim Flannery and Alex Miller,
who are both represented in the collection.
And now I would like to contribute to this impressive collection
myself by presenting a copy of Australia and Recognition of the
People's Republic of China: 1949- 1972.
This volume, especially produced by my department to mark the 30th
anniversary, provides a fascinating insight into a significant period
in Australian and Chinese history.
Ladies and gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to launch the Australian Friendship Collection.
I hope it will inform readers in the Shanghai library and inspire
cultural understanding between the peoples of Australia and China
for many generations to come.
And now, I would like to propose a toast - to the future development
of the Australia-China relationship, to the prosperity of the Australian
and Chinese people, and to the health of all guests present here today.
This page last modified:
Wednesday, 27-Nov-2002 16:39:22 EST
Local Date:
Sunday, 07-Sep-2008 16:48:44 EST
