Editorials

Building trust

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-25 07:50

Julia Gillard became the first woman to be elected Australian prime minister on Thursday after Kevin Rudd stepped down as Labor Party leader.

The change was widely anticipated after a series of policy lapses caused Rudd's ratings to plunge.

The Labor Party, with Gillard at its helm, expects the leadership change to refurbish its standing before elections due within months. But to lure voters, her government needs to tackle complicated issues such as health, education and climate change, head on.

Related readings:  Gillard replaces rudd, becomes Australia's 1st female PM  Julia Gillard sworn in as Australia's 27th PM

As Australia's biggest trade partner, China hopes the new leadership will soon come to grips with the dynamics of Sino-Australian ties.

Providing fresh impetus to bilateral trade will benefit both nations and contribute to Australia's economic recovery.

Compared to other Western powers, the global economic downturn impacted Australia very little. The Chinese industry's increased appetite for Australian energy and resources also helped to prop up its economy.

During Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping's visit to Australia earlier this week, the two countries inked commercial deals worth almost $9 billion. Both also vowed to wrap up at an early date long-running talks on a Free Trade Agreement.

To keep up the momentum of robust bilateral trade, Canberra and Beijing should build more political trust.

The relationship was dogged by several mis-steps last year, including the Rio Tinto case.

This only worsened ties and eroded political trust.

The change of leadership could be an opportunity for both powers to communicate more clearly and better heed each other's major concerns.

(China Daily 06/25/2010 page8)