ACRI launch by the Hon Julie Bishop

On May 16 2014 Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Julie Bishop MP, officially launched the Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

Foreign Minister Bishop delivered the keynote address at the launch event attended by Chinese Ambassador, His Excellency Mr Zhaoxu Ma, the Chinese Consul-General for Sydney, His Excellency Mr Huanxin Li, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tanya Plibersek, members of federal and state parliaments and local councils, Chinese and Australian business representatives and the UTS community.

UTS Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ross Milbourne, said support for the new institute among the Chinese and Australian communities had been very strong and underscored the importance of the relationship.

"UTS is proud to be establishing ACRI at this critical time in the relationship between our two countries. Independent, rigorous research and debate will help build our stock of knowledge and our understanding about this important relationship," he said.

ACRI focuses on the contemporary relationship between Australia and China, exploring how the two nations engage socially, culturally, economically and diplomatically.

Director of the Institute, former Foreign Minister and NSW Premier Bob Carr said at the launch:

"Our ambition is to be a world-leading institute for global thinking – one that combines a new, fresh multidisciplinary research and engagement approach to inform public policy and promote a strong bi-lateral relationship".

"ACRI is dedicated to leading and shaping the public debate about the Australia-China relationship through accessible and interactive public engagement, real-time insights and a research agenda with impact."

The text of Ambassador Ma's speech at ACRI's launch can be found here.

The text of Foreign Minister Bishop's speech at ACRI's launch can be found here.