Australian PM optimistic about Australia-China relations

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Monday that Chinese Australians living in the country are very important to the local society and he was very optimistic about the relations between Canberra and Beijing.

Rudd made the comments in Melbourne when he attended an awards ceremony for Chinese Australians who made outstanding contributions to the local community.

"There is now nearly one million Chinese living in Australia, the Chinese Australians will play a greater and greater role in this country," Rudd told the gathering of hundreds of local business leaders.

He mentioned a local Chinese politician in Sydney who will be the first Labor Party candidate to run the election for a seat in the federal parliament, saying this would be an honor for the parliament and all Chinese Australians.

Rudd stressed he is "100 percent optimistic" about the Australia-China relations, because the peoples and governments of the two countries both have a long-term vision to work together.

Referring to the upcoming election, he stressed it's very important that the Labor Party needs the support of Chinese Australians across the country.

In an interview with Xinhua, Yang Chang, a consultant for Chinese affairs of the Labor Party leader in Victoria, said the Chinese community now is the biggest minority in Australia, as more and more Chinese have come to the country for development in recent years. He added his party is sure that the Chinese immigrants will contribute a lot to the Australia-China relations.

Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, Chinese Consul- General Song Yumin and 400 other Chinese Australian representatives also took part in the event.