SENATOR JOHN FAULKNER
Minister for Defence
Friday, 14 May 2010
047/2010
JOINT STATEMENT
MINISTER FOR DEFENCE OF
THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA, SENATOR JOHN
FAULKNER
AND GENERAL GUO BOXIONG,
VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE CENTRAL MILITARY COMMISSION
OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
At the invitation of the Minister for Defence of the Commonwealth of Australia,
Senator John Faulkner, General Guo Boxiong, Vice Chairman of the Central
Military Commission of the People’s Republic of China arrived in Sydney on
11 May 2010 for a four-day official goodwill visit to Australia. On 13 May in
Canberra, General Guo met with the Hon. Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of
Australia, the Hon. Stephen Smith, Minister for Foreign Affairs and held talks
with the Minister for Defence, Senator John Faulkner.
General Guo was accompanied by senior officers from the Chinese People’s
Liberation Army, including Vice Admiral Sun Jianguo, Deputy Chief of General
Staff, Lieutenant General Xu Fenlin, Commander of the Guangzhou Military
Region, Lieutenant General Ding Jiye, Deputy Chief of the General Logistics
Department, Lieutenant General (AF) Wang Wei, Deputy Political Commissar
of the Air Force, Lieutenant General Wang Jiurong, Deputy Commander of the
Second Artillery Force, Major General Qian Lihua, Chief of the Foreign Affairs
Office, Ministry of National Defence, and Major General Wang Ning, Army
Corps Commander.
The two sides exchanged in-depth views on state-to-state and military-to-
military relations and on issues of mutual interest. The Minister for Defence,
Senator Faulkner, and General Guo agreed to build on existing areas of
defence dialogue and cooperation and further deepen bilateral ties.
Both sides acknowledged shared interests and a desire to ensure peace,
stability and development in the Asia-Pacific region. The Minister for Defence,
Senator Faulkner, and General Guo also acknowledged the importance of
maritime safety and security in keeping maritime trade routes open.
The two sides acknowledged the developments in the military-to-military
relationship over recent years and held that positive outcomes have been
achieved in senior visits and exchanges in education, training and technical
areas. Both sides agreed that strengthening open dialogue on defence and
security issues between Australia and China is conducive to promoting
bilateral relations.
Australia and China were pleased with the outcomes of the visit and the
opportunity it provided to strengthen further our bilateral ties and military-to-
military exchanges. Both sides held the view that the Australia-China defence
relationship constitutes an important part of the overall relationship. The two
sides will make concerted efforts to sustain sound and stable development of
defence relations. Both sides should respect and take into full consideration
the core interests and major concerns of each other, and conduct relations on
the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit. Both sides agreed to
enhance defence exchanges and dialogue in several key areas.
The Minister for Defence, Senator Faulkner, and General Guo noted that
senior military visits and practical exchanges have facilitated the development
of a fruitful and mature relationship. It was agreed to further enhance senior
military visits, following previous reciprocal visits by senior defence officials.
The Minister for Defence, Senator Faulkner, will visit China later this year.
The Chief of the Australian Defence Force Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston
and Secretary of Defence Dr. Ian Watt will also visit Beijing to conduct the 13th
Defence Strategic Dialogue in the second half of the year. The Chief of Navy
and Chief of Army of Australia both look forward to hosting a visit by their
respective counterparts.
Australia and China look forward to continuing exchanges on humanitarian
assistance and disaster relief, and agreed to explore areas for enhanced
dialogue and cooperation in this field.
It was also agreed to organise a maritime joint exercise in conjunction with a
naval ship visit to build on the previous maritime exercise held in 2007.
Both sides agreed to enhance exchanges between the two armies.
Both sides agreed to enhance exchanges of mid-level and junior officers and
in the areas of information sharing, peace-keeping, medicine and sports.
The Minister for Defence, Senator Faulkner, and General Guo acknowledged
the importance of building mutual trust and agreed to consult further on ways
to increase transparency in defence policy between Australia and China.
General Guo also held further discussions with Air Chief Marshal Angus
Houston and Secretary of Defence Dr. Ian Watt at Russell Hill in Canberra
and visited Holsworthy Barracks, HMAS Watson and the Australian Defence
College.
Done in duplicate in both English and Chinese Languages, this joint statement
was signed on 14 May 2010 in Canberra, both texts being equally authentic.
Media contacts:
Colin Campbell (John Faulkner):
02 6277 7800 or 0407 787 181
Defence Media Liaison:
02 6127 1999 or 0408 498 664
NEWS 
