Australian ambassador visits Chengdu

Updated: 2011-12-14 17:21

(chinadaily.com.cn)

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Chengdu, Sichuan province and Perth, in Australia are sister cities. Two giant pandas of Chengdu are living in an Adelaide zoo. Four Australian universities are launching cooperative programs with its Chengdu counterparts.

Francesco Adamson is familiar with Chengdu. On Nov 29th, the first female Australian Ambassador to China said in her second trip to Chengdu that she knows it well. She often tells Australians from all walks of life that, "China not only has Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou but it has Chengdu, too."

As an Australian Ambassador to China, Adamson says her most important task is to deepen investment relations and promote social friendly exchanges between the two countries.

"Australia welcomes Chinese companies to invest in our country as China is our largest trade partner and we are China's seventh largest trade partner. We hope the two countries will enhance mutual understanding," said Adamson. Australian companies are skilled in the service sector, including clean energy, renewable energy, city planning, education, financial service and legal service. "We hope to help China to better implement the 12th Five-year Plan (2011-2015) with our expertise."

"Sichuan province and Chengdu are famous in Australia," said Adamson. In March of 2009, Adamson paid her first visit to Chengdu, looking into reconstruction efforts in the earthquake struck areas. Two years later, she revisited Chengdu and saw that post-disaster reconstruction had basically been completed. Sichuan and Chengdu maintain sustainable and rapid economic growth.

"Australia and China have kept friendly exchanges among the people. I wish Australian cities could have direct flights with Chengdu for more convenient communications," said Adamson.

Adamson said that the two countries have sound cooperation in the artistic and cultural sectors. In the Spring Festival period next year, Chengdu Art Delegation will visit Australia.

Speaking of the sisterhood between Chengdu and Perth, Adamson said, "I talked with the mayor of Perth who believed the two cities are keeping close ties. Adelaide, my hometown, has also scored special relations with Chengdu. Wang Wang and Fu Ni, two giant pandas, are living in the Adelaide zoo. Chengdu is famous in Australia."

Adamson said that Xihua University has an Australian research center, and four Australian universities are keeping cooperation projects with Chengdu.

In the end, Adamson said in Chinese "I expect to take a trip to Chengdu with my husband and children, a trip having nothing to do with work, but simply with enjoying life."