Australia maps out its Asia 'pivot'_美文_趣味英语-查字典英语网

Australia maps out its Asia 'pivot'

China, its leading trading partner and the first customer when it comes to marketing Australia's massive natural resources, can contribute to one of the targets set by the paper – lifting Australian GDP per capita to be among the top 10 in the world, which means bringing it from around $62,000 per capita last year, 13th in the world, to at least $73,000 per capita by 2025, analysts said.

Yang Baoyun, an expert on Asia-Pacific studies at Peking University, said China's emerging power may change the regional and global order one day, so Canberra also aims to know more about China's strategy through intensified exchanges in the economy, diplomacy and culture.

According to the report, Australia will extend its diplomatic architecture and strength defense cooperation with China, support Beijing's participation in the region's strategic, political and economic development, and revise its immigration and visa rules to draw more Chinese tourists and highly-skilled workers.

The report recommended setting up an Australian consulate in Shenyang, Liaoning province.

Zhang Yuanyuan, former Chinese ambassador to New Zealand, said Australia has been in a dilemma over the Asia "pivot" issue for decades because it is geographically near Asia but psychologically closer to the West.

To address the gap in mutual understanding, the report places great emphasis on students' learning Asian languages such as Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian and Japanese, saying Asian studies "will be a core part of a national school curriculum".