"There is no historical grudge between China and Australia, and there is no fundamental conflict of interest.
should and can definitely become
partners who need each other."
Author: Chen Jiali Fu Yumei
Editor: Fu Yumei
Another special guest came to visit.
On December 21, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, State Councilor and Foreign Minister, held the sixth round of China-Australia Diplomatic and Strategic Dialogue with Australian Foreign Minister Huang Yingxian in Beijing.
Short black and gray hair and an iconic Asian face are the first impressions Huang Yingxian leaves on people.
Why do you say she is special? First of all, her identity is a bit special. She is the first Chinese female foreign minister in Australian history.
Secondly, the node and significance of her visit to China are also unusual. December 21 is the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia.
Today, President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with Australian Governor Hurley and Prime Minister Albanese to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Xi Jinping pointed out that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia 50 years ago, practical cooperation in various fields has achieved fruitful results and brought tangible benefits to the people of the two countries. In the dialogue between
and Huang Yingxian, Wang Yi said that in the past few years, China-Australia relations have encountered difficulties and setbacks, which we do not want to see, and the lessons must be fully learned. China and Australia have no historical grievances or fundamental conflicts of interest. They should and can become partners in mutual need. Maintaining the healthy and stable development of the China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership is fully in line with the fundamental interests of the two peoples, and is also conducive to promoting peace and development in the Asia-Pacific region and the world.
Qin Sheng, an assistant researcher at the Australian, New Zealand and South Pacific Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the "Global People " reporter: "On such a special day, the meeting between the foreign ministers of China and Australia can be said to stand at the starting point of the next 50 years, making a good start for the future development of relations between the two countries."
Penny Huang or Huang Yingxian?
Huang Yingxian’s Asian face makes her easily captured among Western politicians.
Her physical features come from her father's bloodline. She was born in Sabah, Malaysia in 1968. Her father, Huang Ruicheng, is a Hakka in Malaysia and is a well-known architectural designer in the local area.
Huang Ruicheng went to Australia to study, during which he met and married Australian Jenny Charman. After getting married, the two returned to live in Malaysia and gave birth to daughter Huang Yingxian and son Toby Huang.
When Huang Yingxian was 8 years old, her parents’ transnational marriage failed. The two parties divorced, and Huang Yingxian and his younger brother returned to Australia with their mother and settled in Adelaide.
·Huang Yingxian is a family of four.
Huang Yingxian once felt very disgusted with his skin color and Asian origin.
According to Adelaide's "Advertiser" report, Huang Yingxian attended an international school locally, and his classmates were from different countries. But because there were very few Asians in the area, she and her younger brother were often bullied by their classmates at school.
· Huang Yingxian (middle in the second row) later mentioned many times that she always remembered the strange look she received from her classmates on her first day at school.
As well as at school, they were also verbally abused by racist neighbors. Neighbors called 8-year-old Huang Yingxian "slant-eyed" and wrote racist slogans on their driveway.
Perhaps out of protection for her daughter, Huang Yingxian’s mother once warned her to “never speak Chinese” even if she encountered danger in Australia. Huang Yingxian herself would also deliberately remind her classmates to call her by her English name "Penny Huang" instead of her Chinese name.
"The Australian " stated that Huang Yingxian's subsequent political path was inseparable from his early experience of discrimination.
Racial discrimination has changed Huang Yingxian’s family to a certain extent, including her younger brother.
Toby Wong grew up to be a chef, but the racism he suffered as a child left a mark on him forever. In 2001, he committed suicide in his apartment at the age of 30.
Huang Yingxian said that his brother's death will "make sure that I never forget what it feels like for those who are really marginalized."
As he grows older, especially after entering politics, Huang Yingxian expressed another view on his origins.
In 2002, in her first Senate speech, Huang Yingxian specifically mentioned the influence of Asian families on her.
She said: "My grandmother was a small woman, but full of indomitable spirit. She was a Hakka and my grandfather's second wife. When World War II spread to Malaysia, she and her family lived in the Sandakan area. Most of the family members died in the war. She could only rely on extraordinary perseverance and desire to survive to face unspeakable hardships alone to raise my father and other children."
She also said: "I cherish my family and cultural roots very much, and I am very proud of my Asian heritage."
She gave up studying medicine because of bleeding
Huang Yingxian's original life goal was not to enter politics.
When she entered the University of Adelaide, she majored in medicine. But soon, she participated in a volunteer exchange program and interned in a Brazilian hospital for a year. Suddenly she discovered that she had syncope and was not suitable to be a doctor. Upon returning to university, she immediately gave up medicine and studied law and art.
While in school, she began to participate in some activities of the Labor Party. She has been a delegate to the South Australian Labor Party state conference almost every year since 1989.
After graduating in 1992, Huang Yingxian engaged in legal work for several years. She joined the South Australian Bar Association and served as legal adviser to the New South Wales Government and the Australian Manufacturing Union.
During this period, Huang Yingxian, who fought many lawsuits for workers, won the appreciation of the then opposition Labor Party. After constant lobbying by Labor leaders, she decided to participate in the election.
In 2001, Huang Yingxian was elected as a senator on behalf of the Labor Party, which became the starting point for her career in politics.
In 2007, Labor leader Kevin Rudd was elected Prime Minister of Australia and appointed Huang Yingxian as Minister of Climate Change and Water Resources. At the end of that year, she accompanied Rudd to Bali to participate in the United Nations Climate Change Conference, and began to emerge internationally.
However, Huang Yingxian did not perform outstandingly during his tenure as climate change minister. She failed to get Labour's carbon pollution reduction plan passed in the Senate, and she has personally longed to leave the Department of Climate Change.
Three years after being appointed Minister of Climate Change, Huang Yingxian was transferred to Minister of Finance.
In 2013, Labor lost the federal election, but Wong was appointed Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, the first woman to hold this position in the country's history.
Since 2016, Huang Yingxian has served as the Labor Party’s foreign policy spokesperson. With the Labor Party winning the 2022 election, Albanese became Prime Minister and Huang Yingxian was officially appointed Foreign Minister.
In May 2022, a few days after being sworn in, Huang Yingxian accompanied Albanese to Tokyo, Japan to attend the "Quartet Security Dialogue" summit.
·Huang Yingxian and Albanese.
Australian media commented that as a close friend and "right-hand man" of the Prime Minister, the 53-year-old Huang Yingxian is likely to become the "think tank star" of Albanese's foreign policy.
Having been in politics for more than 20 years, Huang Yingxian has set many "firsts" in Australian politics by virtue of her identity as a woman and an Asian: the first Asian female senator, the first Asian finance minister, the first Asian foreign minister, the first cabinet official to disclose her sexual orientation, etc.
What is the significance of visiting China?
Taking into account the development of China-Australia relations in recent years, Qin Sheng said in an interview with a reporter from "Global People" that Huang Yingxian's visit is of great significance.
Not long ago, the leaders of China and Australia met during the G20 (G20) summit in Bali.
· On the afternoon of November 15, local time, President Xi Jinping met with Australian Prime Minister Albanese in Bali, Indonesia. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yan Yan
The British " Financial Times " published an article entitled "Australian business circles look forward to improved relations between Australia and China", saying that the meeting between the leaders of China and Australia made Australian business leaders obviously "breathed a sigh of relief". Hopes have been raised that tensions between the two countries may be easing.
In Qin Sheng’s view, compared with the last meeting between the leaders of China and Australia on an international occasion, Huang Yingxian’s visit to China is now a purely bilateral occasion. “This is the first time since China-Australia relations thawed.” Moreover, the timing of the meeting between the foreign ministers of both sides to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia is also meaningful.
"'Mutual benefit and win-win' has been the main tone of China-Australia relations in the past 50 years, which we must not forget. There have been some twists and turns in China-Australia relations in recent years, which can be regarded as minor episodes." Qin Sheng said that unlike the previous Australian government, the new Albanese government has released a positive signal to rebuild relations with China after taking office.
In June this year, Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Defense Wei Fenghe held talks with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Mars. Australian media said this marked the official end of the freeze on the high-level exchange mechanism between Australia and China, paving the way for more high-level talks between the two sides.
Since then, Huang Yingxian has also communicated and talked with Wang Yi many times.
On November 8, Huang Yingxian said during a phone call with Wang Yi that Australia and China have maintained effective communication and contact in recent times. Through unremitting efforts, positive changes have taken place in the relations between the two countries. Australia will continue to adhere to the one-China policy and develop a more stable and mutually beneficial relationship with China on the basis of mutual respect.
"I think Huang Yingxian's visit this time is also a restoration of bilateral relations in the previous stage. It allows us to see that the relationship between the two countries is actively developing and is back on the right track. It also shows that the future of the relationship between the two countries is promising."
"The Australian" said that Huang Yingxian's visit will "take a historic step" in the development of Australia-China relations and is expected to "reset Australia-China relations."
Qin Sheng believes: "This meeting between the foreign ministers of both sides can lay a solid political foundation for the next stage of cooperation between China and Australia. Only with a foundation of political mutual trust can the potential for cooperation in other aspects, such as economic and trade exchanges, personnel exchanges and other fields be realized."
In Qin Sheng's view, the future cooperation prospects between China and Australia are "full of brightness." He gave an example:
First of all, the economies of China and Australia are highly complementary. One of the main sources of Australia's economic growth is the export of mineral resources. As Australia's largest trading partner, China has broad prospects for cooperation.
The second is the upgrade negotiation of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement. Since the political mutual trust relationship between the two parties was once destroyed, it has been stagnant for a long time. "During this period, we have conducted upgraded negotiations with New Zealand, which has also brought great benefits to the other party. I believe Australia is also very keen to advance."
In addition, the Australian Labor government now attaches great importance to the issue of climate change. China also attaches great importance to the issue of climate change and has proposed a "double carbon" goal. In the future, China and Australia should also have ample room for cooperation in the global governance of climate change.
However, there are also challenges in the process of improving relations between China and Australia. Qin Sheng believes that internationally, the impact of US factors on China-Australia relations deserves attention. In the process of the game between China and the United States, it remains to be seen how Australia will respond and choose. In Australia, the Labor government also faces the adverse influence of some anti-China forces.
"For Albanese, the most important thing is how to implement Australia's commitment to China and truly achieve 'mutual respect.'" Qin Sheng said.
