Speech by HE Ms Frances Adamson, Australian Ambassador to China
Closing Ceremony of the Australia-China Humanitarian and Disaster Assistance Relief Exercise Cooperation Spirit 2011, Chongyi, Sichuan Province, 29 November 2011
Good Afternoon
Thank you Lieutenant General Li Zuocheng, for the invitation to attend this bilateral Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Exercise (HADR) between Australia and China - Exercise Cooperation Spirit 2011. It is my pleasure to be here today at the closing ceremony.
Over the past few years, the Chinese and Australian militaries have deepened their mutual understanding through a range of senior-level dialogues and working-level exchanges, and cooperation in the areas of maritime engagement, peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Exercise Cooperation Spirit shows, in a very practical way, how regional partners such as China and Australia can work together to manage and respond to emerging challenges.
It is appropriate that our combined exercise has taken place in Sichuan province, the site of the devastating 2008 earthquake. This location underlines the important and practical nature of the work done here over the last two days.
Over the last few days, the Australian Defence personnel have built close relationships and ties with their Chinese friends and have developed a greater understanding and appreciation of our respective approaches to HADR.
But aside from the relationship building that has occurred during this exercise, the practical benefits have been very real. Both sides now have a better understanding of each other’s procedures and processes for coordinating a HADR response. And in a Asia Pacific region where natural disasters are an all too common occurrence, our two countries are now better placed to coordinate our responses should we be called upon to work side by side to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in future.
In closing, this Exercise has been a success and I know the Australian contingent have found the discussions, presentations and exercises rewarding and fruitful. I would once again like to thank our hosts here at the Comprehensive Emergency Response Training Base for the hospitality they have shown the Australian contingent.
I hope that we will be able to reciprocate your hospitality next year and our militaries will have an opportunity to further develop our HADR cooperation when we look to build on Exercise Cooperation Spirit 2011 in Australia.
Thank you.