Importance of youth dialogue

The Asia-Pacific region has entered an unprecedented era of change. As the current growth engine of the global economy, China is now more and more deeply linked to Australia through the strategic resource trade. The rise of China means that today's youth in Australia and China - tomorrow's stakeholders in Sino-Australian affairs - will be charged with a hugely important regional relationship in a period of flux, as the face of international politics and economics undergoes a fundamental paradigm shift.

Between Oct 4 and 6, the inaugural Australia-China Youth Dialogue (www.acyd.org.au) in Beijing and Shanghai sought to break down misconceptions and enhance mutual respect, trust and understanding between future stakeholders in Sino-Australian affairs.

The dynamics of political power in Asia Pacific is shifting to East Asia and the future prosperity and security of young Chinese and Australians will to a significant degree rest upon how this power shift is best managed. No one can accurately gauge how long the transition will take - there are too many unpredictable variables. But it can be safely assumed that the rise of China and its corresponding impact on the Asia-Pacific regional order will span several generations.