Chairman Jia Qinglin marks 40th anniversary celebrations
Chinese NPPCC Chairman Jia Qinglin, leading a 40-person strong delegation in an official visit to New Zealand, delivered a keynote speech at the NZ Contemporary China Research Centre on the 17th April, 2012, as part of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of New Zealand-China diplomatic relations.
University academics, students and invited guests gathered to hear the 40 minute speech and a 10-minute Q&A with Chairman Jia. In his speech, Chairman Jia expressed China’s desire to continue developing economic relations with New Zealand and highlighted the role New Zealand plays as a gateway to the Pacific. Chairman Jia set forward a four point proposal on how to further enhance New Zealand-China relations: continuing high-level political exchanges; furthering investment and business ties in mutually-beneficial industries; increasing opportunities for exchanges and cooperation across all industries; and building a cooperative approach on issues affecting the South Pacific.
Chairman Jia acknowledged the University's record of teaching and research on contemporary China as well as Chinese culture, language and history, and expressed a desire for both countries to continue to promote education and cultural exchange.
At the end of the event, Chairman Jia met with Victoria's third-year students majoring or double-majoring in Chinese and had a lively conversation with the students.