A launching ceremony for Annual Report on Development of Australia (2017-2018) and Chinese Journal of Australian Studies (Volume 2), is held at Beijing Foreign Studies University, on January 11, as is the China-Australia Relations Forum: Trends and Future.

A launching ceremony for Annual Report on Development of Australia (2017-2018) and Chinese Journal of Australian Studies (Volume 2) was held in Beijing on January 11 together with the China-Australia Relations Forum: Trends and Future. The event was organized by Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) and Social Sciences Academic Press.

At the ceremony, Sun Youzhong, vice president of BFSU and president of the Chinese Association for Australian Studies, made a speech and briefly outlined the book.

Sun Youzhong speaks at the ceremony.

Gerald Thomson, deputy head of Mission of the Australian Embassy in China; Luo Lin, director of the Secretariat for Country and Regional Studies of China’s Ministry of Education; Wang Yuzhu, general secretary of the Chinese Association of Asia-Pacific Studies; Liu Qing, head of the Department for Asia-Pacific Security and Cooperation Studies of the China Institute of International Studies; and Zhang Xiaoli, director of the Country and Regional Studies Division of Social Sciences Academic Press also delivered speeches.

Gerald Thomson speaks at the ceremony.

The launching ceremony was hosted by Xie Tao, associate dean of the School of English and International Studies of BFSU.

Though Australia’s domestic politics have experienced ups and downs in the past year, China-Australia relations have been generally positive, said Sun, adding that "The cooperation, especially in economy and trade area, between China and Australia has revved up continuously in the past year, and we are looking at even brighter prospects in the future. Today China is the largest trading country and the most important trading partner of Australia. It is observed that circles in various areas of Australia are looking forward to propelling cooperation between the two countries in a bid to promote development and bring benefit to the people. We are greatly inspired by such good wishes."

Gerald Thomson said that Australia will keep on promoting cooperation with China, and noted that "We hope to expand regional and global cooperation with China in the future to promote economic growth, sustain regional stability and meet global challenges together." He added that Australia and China share huge potential and broad prospects on cooperation in areas of trade, service and new technology.

Compiled by the Australian Studies Centre of BFSU, Annual Report on Development of Australia (2017-2018) conducts a yearly briefing and analysis of Australian politics, economy, diplomacy, society and culture, with a major focus on Australia's domestic and foreign policies, economic and social developments since July 2017. It also makes an in-depth analysis of some hot topics in China-Australia relations, providing a reference for domestic Australian Studies.

The book launch was followed by a forum titled " China-Australia Relation: Trends and Future", at which Panelists shared their insights from an array of perspectives, including politics, economy, trade, finance, and people’s daily lives.

In addition to Thomson the forum participants included Han Feng, Changqing Scholar of BFSU and senior researcher from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Geoff Raby, former Australian ambassador to China and Chairman and CEO of Geoff Raby & Associates; Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Centre of East China Normal University and executive vice president of the Chinese Association for Australian Studies; Greg McCarthy, BHP Billiton Chair of Australian Studies at Peking University and professor of the University of Western Australia; Zhou Mi, deputy director & senior research fellow from the Institute of American and Oceanian Studies of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation; and Kirsty Needham, China correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald.

Hu Dan, deputy director of the BFSU Australian Studies Centre and deputy general secretary of the Chinese Association for Australian Studies, presided over the forum.

Chinese Journal of Australian Studies (volume 2), the only comprehensive academic journal of Australian studies in China, was also released the same day.