Inaugural meeting of Australian and Chinese business leaders held in Australia’s capital Canberra today

During the visit of His Excellency Vice President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, to Australia, the first meeting of the Australia–China CEO Roundtable meeting took place in Canberra today.

The roundtable has been established to promote dialogue between business leaders as the basis for deepening economic cooperation, strengthening commercial ties and broadening communication between business and the Chinese and Australian Governments.

The first meeting of the roundtable was attended by 25 Australian and Chinese business leaders from the areas of energy, mining, resources, financial services, professional services and manufacturing.

The members of the roundtable held discussions on a number of issues of importance to business and to the people of both nations. The discussions focused on the economic outlook for Australia and China, two-way investment, the emerging policy environment for business, and the challenges of achieving sustainable growth.

Roundtable members also considered the potential for increased cooperation in areas of commerce where both nations have substantial interests, and which would result in mutual economic and social benefits.

After the meeting of the roundtable, the business leaders then met with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping. At the meeting with government leaders, the co-chairmen, Mr Graham Bradley, President, Business Council of Australia, and Mr Chen Yuan, Chairman, China Development Bank reported on the discussions of the roundtable.

The co-chairmen raised a number of priorities aimed at strengthening cooperation between Australia and China in the areas of investment, finance and services. They emphasised the importance of continuing to have in place policies that enable the strong economic relationship between the two countries to continue to grow.

The meeting was greatly valued by both Australian and Chinese leaders, and by the chairmen and CEOs who took part.

The roundtable provided an important opportunity for business leaders to engage in high-level discussions, and to share their ideas and future priorities. These discussions provide a new forum that can contribute to improving mutual understanding, and to deepening cooperation between Australian and Chinese business circles.

The members of the roundtable expressed their thanks to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Chinese Ministry of Commerce for co-hosting the first roundtable meeting.

The roundtable was jointly organised by the Business Council of Australia and the China Chamber of Commerce in Australia.

The members of the first Australia–China CEO Roundtable were:

Mr CHEN Yuan (Co-Chair), Chairman, China Development Bank
Mr Graham Bradley AM (Co-Chair), President, Business Council of Australia

Mr SHEN Heting, Chairman, Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC)
Mr ZHAO Honglin, Executive Deputy President, Jiangsu Shagang Group
Mr FU Chengyu, President, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC)
Mr WANG Xin, CEO, Deputy Chairman, Yancoal Group
Mr ZHANG Keli, Executive Deputy CEO, China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group
Mr ZHANG Shanming, Deputy CEO, China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corps, (CGNPC)
Ms LI Xiaolin, Deputy CEO, China Power Investment Corporation; Chairman, China Power International Development Ltd
Mr CHANG Zhenming, CEO, Deputy Chairman, CITIC Group
Mr LI Lihui, Governor, Bank of China
Mr YANG Kaisheng, Governor, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC)
Mr LI Shaode, President, China Shipping (Group) Company
Mr LI Donsheng, Chairman, CEO, TCL Group
Mr Russell R. Caplan, Chairman, Shell Australia
Mr Gordon Davis, Managing Director, AWB Limited
Mr John W. H. Denton, Partner and Chief Executive Officer, Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Mr Andrew Forrest, Chief Executive Officer, Fortescue Metals Group Limited
Mr Gerry Hueston, President, BP Australasia
Ms Katie Lahey, Chief Executive, Business Council of Australia
Mr Robert Milliner, Chief Executive Partner, Mallesons Stephen Jaques
Mr Ralph Norris, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Mr Michael Smith OBE, Chief Executive Officer, ANZ
Ms Catherine Tanner, Managing Director, QGC Limited
Mr Don Voelte, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Woodside Energy Limited