The 12th Australia China Youth Dialogue held in Perth (2022)
Since being involved in the Australia China Youth Dialogue (ACYD) in 2016, I’ve observed how the Australia-China relationship has gone from bad to worse. It took 6 years for the heads of our countries to re-engage in dialogue at last week’s G20 Summit in Bali - the lack of dialogue at these levels have fuelled feelings of anxiety from an uncertain future. Regardless of the political situation, the mission of the ACYD over this period has stayed true every year since it's inception in 2010 – to promote frequent and meaningful dialogue between young leaders from the two regions. Despite challenging times, I am hopeful for a more productive engagement that that will bring benefits for a stable future, the youth and a respectful multicultural society.
It was our pleasure to host the 12th year of the ACYD in Perth last week. In the last 4 days, we had the privilege to hear from government, healthcare, sports, media, mining and business executives who highlighted the challenges of "Managing Ambiguity" in navigating the complex bilateral relationship within their respective fields. It was inspiring to hear extremely talented young delegates at the top of their game to engage in balanced discussion about the opportunities and ways we can contribute to make things better at the non-government level. Whilst we will always have disagreements and our own national interests to protect, having dialogue has time and time again proven to be better than none.
Below is a summary of the 12th ACYD 2022 program
Day 1 – Regional Security & Prosperity
The Opening Address and welcome for the 12th ACYD was delivered at KPMG by Jonathan Willoughby (partner, enterprise, KPMG), Deputy Consul-General Wang, H.E. the Honourable Chris Dawson APMC and Sam Lim MP.
Demystifying the 20th Party Congress and the rise of Xi Jinping
Chaired by Yun Jiang (ACYD 2021) with speakers Primrose Riordan (South China Correspondent at Financial Times), A/prof Alfred M. Wu (Public Policy at the National University of Singapore), Kandy Wong (Correspondent at South China Morning Post) and Dr Minglu Chen(Department of Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney).
A fascinating discussion covering issues including China’s zero COVID policy, the governments aim to lift more population out of poverty, the role of women in the Politburo, dual circulation and media perspectives of the National Congress.
China's foreign policy in the Pacific
A deep dive into the geopolitical trends and recent developments in the Pacific region, and their driving factors. A thoughtful discussion about the influence of broader Taiwan-China tensions on the region, the problems with 'cheque book diplomacy', the AUKUS pact and the context of other defence partnerships in the region, the spillover of political tensions into the scientific innovation space, and climate change aid.
Gala Dinner
Held at the Ritz-Carlton with Liam Tay Kearney and I as MC's. A first for me MC’ing an event of this kind and use of my rusty ABC Mandarin. Liam killed it though!
After the welcome to country by Whadjuk Noongar Elder Betty Garlett, our ACYD Chair, Jade Little, provided an opening speech in which she so powerfully summarised our history and mission with deep insights on how we can all contribute to a better future. This was followed by an warm welcome to Perth (the City of Lights) by Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas , an opening address by the Honourable Minister Dave Kelly MLA and finally, and a keynote delivered by David Ambrose.
Day 2 – Mining and Resources for the Future
The "symbiotic" nature of the Australia-China relationship in the resources sector was a positive theme across sessions. Our speakers noted "we cannot live without each other" and that there is hope that the future of our countries' relations is still bright because of our complimentary, intertwined economies.
A Chinese perspective - operating in Australia, iron ore supply/demand outlook, technology and energy transition
Anna Lin (ACYD 2017, Austrade) chaired our first panel session of the day, and was joined by speakers Dr David Sun (MD, Sinosteel Corporation); and Rob Newton (Head of Corporate Affairs, CITIC Pacific Mining).
An Australian perspective - operating in Australia, iron ore supply/demand outlook, technology and energy transition
Anna Lin stayed on to chair our second session, with: BJ Zhuang AM (Former Executive, FMG); and chris mcmahen (Group Manager Technical Marketing, FMG).
Mining and resources entrepreneurship, Australia's opportunity in the global race to Net Zero
Tracy Jin Cui (ACYD 2017) chaired our third session of the day with speakers: Yaxi Zhan Zhan (Founder and Managing Director, Accelerate Resources Ltd), Tamryn Barker (Co-founder, CORE Innovation Hub and National Lead, Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct), Yolanda Zhao (Co-Founder and COO, Infinite Green Energy). An interesting and broad ranging discussion across hydrogen, electrification, energy storage and automation.
FMG Hive site visit
Tianqi Lithium fireside chat and site visit
We loaded back onto our buses to see the Tianqi Lithium Hydroxide processing plant in Kwinana — the first battery-grade processing plant in Australia. I was privileged to host a 'fireside chat' with Raj Surendran — the CEO of Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia.
Apart from the technology and business partnerships between the two countries, we emphasised the critical importance of cross-cultural collaboration. We were all grateful to Raj, Erik Laurent and the Tianqi Lithium team for giving up a part of their own Saturday to give us a tour of the plant and the amazing Australian first milestones being achieved right here in WA.
Dinner in conversation with Mr Lai Ah Hong
We were treated to a delicious lobster dinner while I chaired a discussion with Mr Ah Hong Lai (Managing Director of Phosphate Resources). The story of Mr Lai's rise from humble beginnings and hardship (without even a mattress to sleep on), to his place in Australia as an admired community leader, told with such humility, humour and wisdom, was very moving. His story and other Christmas Island stories can be found here: Mr Lai Christmas Island Stories
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Day 3 - People, Community and the Arts
Diplomatic briefing
Jade Little (Chair, ACYD), chaired our diplomatic briefing session with His Excellency Mr Graham Fletcher (Australia's Ambassador to China) who offered insights on the state of the Australia-China relationship, including trade, the economic outlook in China, opportunities for further collaboration and China's COVID policy outlook.
In conversation with the Hon Pierre Shuai Yang MLC on community leadership
Harrison Chen (陳佳源) (ACYD team) chaired our conversation with the Hon Pierre Yang MLC (Government Whip in the Legislative Council). Pierre encouraged those who wanted it to pursue leadership roles, and gave us his advice in respect of knowing our reasons for wanting to serve the community.
Navigating our cultural differences and understanding of the world through language
Liam Tay Kearney (ACYD team) chaired the discussion with Professor Jing Han (Director of the Australia-China Institute for Arts and Culture at Western Sydney University), Yu-Hsiu Camille Chen (Executive Creative Director of Legend Media Group), A/Prof Xingkui Zhang (Associate Director of UWA Confucius Institute).
Calligraphy, tea and reflections
After lunch we were fortunate to have Qi Lao Shi and Cao Lao Shi (Confucius Institute) guide us through a calligraphy workshop, and a calming tea masterclass.
Following this, we had a change of pace as Cindy Gottinger (ACYD 2013, and Board Member) took us through a reflective activity.
ACYD Alumni Dinner
Jessie Hu and Harrison Chen (陳佳源) (both ACYD 2021, and ACYD team) MC'd us through a rollicking night. We heard from ACYD founder, Henry F. Makeham , and Mr Ting Chen (President, Chung Wah Association) who was very generous in supporting us and connecting us to his network.
Day 4 – Public diplomacy in practise
In conversation with Nobel Laureate Professor Barry Marshall
Chaired by Dr Ye Chen (ACYD 2016), we were fortunate to be joined by Nobel Laureate Professor Barry Marshall . With his entertaining and candid manner, he shared with us his experiences in research (particularly in relation to the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease), and anecdotes regarding his contributions, experiences and perspectives following his decades of engagement with China, and research cooperation with Chinese universities and institutions.
Address from the Hon Dr Kevin Rudd, AC
We heard from Kevin Rudd (via video) who addressed the ACYD and provided some insights on the state of the bilateral relationship.
Sports Diplomacy - Port Adelaide to Shanghai
Andrew Hunter (Author and journalist) in an engaging discussion chaired by Gabi Powell Thomas (ACYD team). Andrew shared with us the success of the Port Adelaide AFL team's audacious project to bring AFL to China and the power of sports to draw people together and build trust.
Closing
During our closing we heard from Jade Little (ACYD Chair), Mathew Benjamin (ACYD, Executive Director) and Sally Dawkins (DFAT). In the audience we were joined by Consul Hongtao Zhao from the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China.
The Delegates
I am constantly blown away by the calibre of delegates the ACYD is able to attract every year. I am inspired to see them engage in fruitful discussion in both formal and informal dinner chats. This year included:
The ACYD Team and Partners
The ACYD is a not for profit and volunteer run organisation. It was an absolute honour to work alongside a talented group of passionate and talented individuals who I am also grateful to call my friends including Jade Little , Mathew Benjamin , Liam Tay Kearney , Harrison Chen (陳佳源) , Jessie Hu , Jin Han , Manelle Issa , Patricia Saw , Michael Ting , Gabi Powell Thomas , Harry Li , Yifan Wang , Cindy Gottinger , Jessica Wong-Saunderson and Ted Zhou.
I would like to specifically call out Mathew Benjamin and Jade Little who I have seen behind the scenes work tirelessly and made huge sacrifices by putting others and the organisation first before themselves. I've seen them improve the ACYD year on year since they took on executive director and chair roles of the organisation. It has evolved to become a professionally run organisation that is, according to Director of DFAT, of exceptional quality in terms of access and exposure at the "same calibre as the programs curated for visiting international leaders and ambassadors". The team is proud and grateful for your leadership and drive to make it what has become today.
The ACYD would also not be possible without our sponsors and partners who have been supportive in all aspects of our program. They are:
Mechanical Engineer | Piping QS & Drafter | Industrial Engineering and Plant Engineering Oil & Gas, LNG | Specialized in PDMS, Revit, AutoCAD, Technical Documentation
1yvery nice work place
莎丽 | International education | Strategic partnership development | Managing at complexity and scale | Diplomacy and negotiation
2yThanks so much James Tang and to the entire Australia-China Youth Dialogue team. I couldn't agree more with your reflections around the relationship and the positive outcomes these Dialogues are for influence and building the people-to-people connections that will support for a better future for #Australia and #China and sustained engagement. Thanks again for everything - it was so lovely to meet you!
Head of Product
2yThank you for this wonderful summary and great MC'ing and facilitation throughout the dialogue James! While the dynamic between Aus/China has changed significantly, cannot agreed more that dialogue is always better than none.
Sales & Marketing at Fortescue Metals Group
2yNice job James, much appreciated.
McKinsey / China Strategy / MBA
2ySo proud of you James!