On the morning of September 23, 2017, the opening ceremony of CHINA MINING Congress and Expo 2017 was held at Tianjin Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center. Under the theme of “Promoting Mining Prosperity under the Silk Road Spirit”, the event discussed the global mining situation and policies, mining investment and finance, exploration and development, and the green development of the mining industry. The photo shows that H.E. Ms. Jan Adams AO PSM, Ambassador of Australia Embassy to China and Representative of International Co-organizers was delivering a speech at the opening ceremony. (Photo: Yu Hongqi; Editor: Xu Xiaojing)
Your Excellency the Hon. Cao Weixing, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Land and Resources, PRC,
The Hon. Li Hongzhong, Secretary-General of CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee,
The Hon. Wang Dongfeng, Mayor of Tianjin,
The Hon. Jiang Daming, Minister of Land and Resources,
The Hon. Ling Yueming, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Land and Resources, PRC,
Mr. Peng Qiming, President, China Mining Association,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning!
I am very glad to come again to Tianjin for this year's CHINA MINING Congress and Expo, which has become an important event in the fields of the global resources and energy industry and in Australia. So much has happened in the past year, especially in terms of policies and the market in China. I highly appreciate the excellent leadership of the Ministry of Land and Resources in organizing the congress. This year, Australia once again brings a large scale delegation, including high-level representatives from various federal states. I hope that you could have the opportunity to meet with them at the Australian booths and listen to their group presentations.
The mining industry has been playing a leading role in building the relations between China and Australia. The Australian mining industry has proved that we are a staunch partner of China. And both countries enjoy the most complementary economic relations in the world. Australia is the world's largest exporter of iron ore, and China is also a major producer and also an important importer now. In addition, Australia has been the largest exporter of aluminum, the largest producer of lithium and the second largest producer of gold and coal mine. Australia also produces other main exports, which makes it the third largest new exporter.
Both China and Australia are important mining nations. As we often mentioned, we are optimistic now because of the world economies recovery which is also the first recovery since the global economic crisis. At the same time, increasing the prices of our commodities has also brought some confidence to the mining industry. In this regard, China has undergone a series of positive changes, especially after the supply-side reform. All industries in Australia have also seen some inspiring situations.
Let me give you some examples. Mining operation and fees are growing at an annual rate of 15 percent. And they have been increasing for four consecutive quarters in Australia. According to a recent survey, in terms of job vacancies, there was an increase of 72 percent in the energy sector in August this year compared with the same period of last year. Australia is honored and proud to have some high-quality mining resources, and its value is of great importance to both the world economy and its own economy. Furthermore, we have a great deal of resources that haven’t been exploited and we are well-prepared for further investment any time from the outside world.
The trade data between Australia and China are mainly related to iron ore, coal gas, coal and so on, and the trade in other resources is also very incredible. However, these data are actually not enough. In fact, we have done more in many aspects. For instance, we have created a mining ecosystem which covers the relations between trade, investment and innovation that we might generate, the scientific certifications of the earth beneath the seabed and the desert and the innovation that we have brought after we conquered challenges when we faced more remote continents. This is exactly what we are saying-what makes CHINA MINING different is that it covers the entire mining ecosystem.
During Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to Australia in March this year, he emphasized that great achievements have been achieved by the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement entered into force in 2015, which is the highest-level trade agreement in China. Both countries are very proud of that. However, we will not easily be satisfied. Last week, Treasurer of Australia and Australian Minister for Trade and Investment had two important talks with Mr. He Lifeng, director-general of the National Development and Reform Commission and Zhong Shan, Minister of Commerce. They talked about the economic relations between the two countries. Through the talks, both parties have agreed to move the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement forward with the focus on the service and investment industries. They also took into consideration our investment policies and concrete measures on the cooperation with China’s "Belt and Road" initiative in the future. We also know that at the "Belt and Road" forum successfully held by China in May, our bilateral relations would be further promoted and reach a new level.
We will be more and more concerned about the third market in the global market. Nowadays, we are planning to further optimize the business environment and investment environment in Australia, enabling it to attract more investors. For example, the government has greatly supported the fund-raising in the mining exploration we first built for tax credits. In the northern part of Australia, in particular, innovation is the core in what we have always stressed, and the mining industry is leading the innovation. With only 2.4 million people, Australia has contributed many new technologies used in daily life to the world, such as WiFi and black box flight recorders.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization also sets up corresponding imaging platforms. Currently, the research on the earth’s crust is actually only up to 20%. We will continue to use such new technologies as UV and ultrasound to explore the areas that haven’t been touched. Industries and investors will get benefits from innovation in our science sector because we will be able to publish these data soon, and actually no other countries can publishes the data to the public as Australia does. The Australian government now announces that our new investment plan is a Digital Australia project, which means that we have created more opportunities for mining companies through this project as it is being surveyed by satellite.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Australia is a young and modern country, but enjoys a long history in the mining industry. When it comes to mining ecosystems, we will take all aspects into consideration, including trade, science, investment, management, human resources, technology and so on.
At last, I wish the event a full success!
Thank you very much!
Source: www.mlr.gov.cn Citation: www.mlr.gov.cn
About CHINA MINING
Since first held in 1999, the scope and influence of CHINA MINING has grown rapidly year by year. As a global mining summit forum and exhibition, CHINA MINING Congress and Expo has become one of the world’s top mining events, and one of the world’s largest mining exploration, development and trading platforms, covering all aspects of the whole mining industry chain, including geological survey, exploration and development, mining rights trading, mining investment and financing, smelting and processing, mining techniques and equipment, mining services, etc. playing an active promotion role in creating exchange opportunities and enhancing mutual cooperation between domestic and foreign mining enterprises.
CHINA MINING Congress and Expo 2017 will be held at Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin in September 23-25, 2017. We invite you to join the event and to celebrate the 19th anniversary of CHINA MINING with us. For more information about CHINA MINING 2017, please visit: m.balanzskin.com.
