“The Australia–China CEO Roundtable which met in Canberra this morning will play a significant role in realising the opportunities created by today’s signing of the free trade agreement,” said ANZ CEO Mike Smith, who co-chaired the roundtable on behalf of the Business Council of Australia.

“Since the roundtable was established in 2010, the successful negotiation of a free trade agreement has been our top priority,” said Mr Smith.

“From today, this regular dialogue will be a vehicle for exploring opportunities arising from the FTA and encouraging ongoing collaboration between business to deliver lasting economic benefits to both countries.”

This fourth meeting of the roundtable was attended by 24 Australian and Chinese business leaders (see list below). The discussion focused on four key areas identified as offering particular opportunities to both Australia and China, specifically:

•    opportunities arising from the free trade agreement and infrastructure
•    opportunities to deepen cooperation in services and investment
•    cooperation in energy, mining and resources
•    cooperation in agriculture.

“This afternoon we presented a report on our discussion to Prime Minister Tony Abbott and President Xi Jinping,” said Mr Smith.

“We indicated that business leaders recognise their role in bringing the free trade agreement to life, and delivering the partnerships that will allow us to boost trade and create jobs. 

“As with previous roundtables, we emphasised the transformative significance of a high-quality, comprehensive and balanced free trade agreement. We agreed that where we identify challenges to its implementation from over-regulation or other barriers, we will openly discuss these with our respective governments.

“The business leaders accept the mantle of implementation and will use the roundtable to deepen and strengthen the business-to-business relationships that will help to grow our two economies and create jobs.

“Business holds a special responsibility in ensuring that the community as a whole understands and benefits from these opportunities.”
 
Australia–China CEO Roundtable Participants 2014

From Australia
Michael Smith OBE, ANZ (Co-Chair)
Catherine Livingstone AO, President of BCA, Chairman of Telstra Corporation Limited
Peter Coleman, Woodside Energy Limited
John W.H. Denton, Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Andrew Forrest, Fortescue Metals Group Limited
Stuart Fuller, King & Wood Mallesons
Lance Hockridge, Aurizon Holdings Limited
Gail Kelly, Westpac Group
Andrew Mackenzie, BHP Billiton
Craig Meller, AMP Limited
Andrew Michelmore, MMG Limited
Sam Walsh AO, Rio Tinto

From China
Huaibang Hu, China Development Bank (Co-Chair)
Zhenming Chang, CITIC Group Corporation
Guoli Tian, Bank of China Limited
Yilin Wang, China National Offshore Oil Corporation
Yinbiao Shu, State Grid Corporation of China
Lejiang Xu, Baosteel Group Corporation
Jianhong Li, China Merchants Group Limited
Huayong Ge, China UnionPay
Yuliang Zhang, Greenland Group
Philip Jiang, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd
Yonghao Liu, New Hope Group
Pui Ngai Wu, Shanghai Zhongfu (Group) Co Ltd

For further information contact:

Scott Thompson, Director, Media and Public Affairs, Business Council of Australia, Telephone (03) 8664 2603 | Mobile 0403 241 128

Stephen Ries, ANZ Head of Media Relations | Mobile 0409 655 551.