The Australia-China Youth Dialogue is now on Renren (人人网)

The Australia-China Youth Dialogue is now on Renren (人人网). For those people who have Renren accounts please '加为好友'! (add us as a friend!) Please go to: http://www.renren.com/601745756

Australia-China Youth Dialogue featured in Australian Educational International report

The Australia-China Youth Dialogue was featured in the Australian Education International (AEI) report: Expanding Our Horizon - Forty years of Australia-China collaboration and exchange in education, science and research. This report was launched by Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Beijing, and catalogues 40 years of Australia-China engagement.

The Australia-China Youth Dialogue was featured on page 24-25:

"The Australia-China Youth Dialogue has been held annually since  2010, and hosted in China every other year. The Dialogue is featured in more detail in chapter 7. Pohlner says, ‘The next generation of political, academic and business leaders in both Australia and China has the potential to be more globally connected and aware than any generation that preceded them.’ For Pohlner, ACYA signals a maturing of Australia-China relations. Generously supported by government, it remains a non-government enterprise operated entirely by people under the age of 35—born after the commencement of formal diplomatic ties—for the members’ benefit. As the interconnectedness of Australian and Chinese societies continues to deepen, this model will, Pohlner hopes, become a norm for engagement. ‘As an old Chinese proverb goes,’ says Jason Huang, ‘a good neighbour is better than a brother far off .’ A research assistant at Sun Yat-sen University’s Australian Studies Centre and a 2010 International Journalism graduate from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Huang is an activist on the Chinese side in boosting grassroots student ties between Australian and Chinese students. He was co-organiser of the Sino-Australian SME Summit in 2010 and earned an ACYD delegate place the following year. As ACYA cultural liaison officer in 2011, he coordinated translation of ACYA’s submission to the White Paper on Australia in the Asian Century. Huang says: 'Australia-China relations are profitable for both countries; it is easy to direct bilateral cooperation from the top. But it’s at the grassroots level that the biggest changes are possible—young Australian and Chinese students and professionals sharing ideas and forming deeper mutual understanding through independent dialogue.'"

And page 126-127 of the report:

"Through the ACYD (Australia-China Youth Dialogue), talented young people are developing innovative ideas while learning from those who shaped the present. Delegates embody a vision of a future based on constant interaction and communication. They are building strong professional ties and lasting friendships. The ACYD young leaders’ dialogue is held annually, alternately in Australia and China. It partners with the All-China Youth Federation and the China University Media Union as part of their Dialogue with the World program. Since its inception, ACYD has been supported by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Australian National University, the Capital M Group and the Australia-China Business Council. Rio Tinto, ANZ, the Australian Chamber of Commerce in China, and others have joined in supporting the Dialogue. From a large number of applicants, fifteen Australian and fifteen Chinese delegates aged 18-35 are selected each year to participate in the intensive five-day curriculum designed to challenge existing conceptions of important issues facing Australia and China and to encourage the delegates to engage with issues outside their comfort zone. Almost all delegates are bilingual. Each has at least one area of relevant expertise that ensures discussions throughout the week are engaging and fruitful. The intimacy of the group creates an intense experience and lasting relationships that will serve the bilateral relationship, as young professionals become established leaders. During the dialogue, delegates meet and discuss critical issues with prominent experts and leaders from each country. Past speakers have included Bob Hawke (former Prime Minister), Craig Emerson (current Trade Minister), Michael Kirby (former High Court Justice), Justin Lin (former Chief Economist of the World Bank) and Jing Ulrich (Chairman and Managing Director, JPMorgan). Delegates are selected from a variety of backgrounds and are next generation talent challenged by discussions on the full spectrum of Australia-China relations, from economic, geopolitical and governance issues to environment, culture and creative industries, sports, philosophy, business, and climate change to civil society and the rule of law. During ACYD, delegates explore a cross section of two cities: the capital city and a second city. These have included Shanghai, Sydney, Chengdu and, in 2013, Perth. In each location, discussions are held in varied and unusual venues—a key part of what makes the experience memorable. The 2011 ACYD delegates contributed to the Australia in the Asian Century White Paper. In 2012 delegates prepared a response to the White Paper, addressing ways young people from Australia and China can advance the goals it articulates. The increasingly powerful network cooperates closely with a number of partners in Australia, China and, recently, the United States. Working with these partners brings young professionals together with some of the most vibrant established leaders in Australia and China."

The report can be download from the Australian Education International website: https://aei.gov.au/News/Latest-News/Pages/Expanding-Our-Horizon.aspx

Kate Croll presenting at the 2012 Australia-China Youth Dialogue, Red Gate Gallery, Beijing

Kate Croll, Founding Director, Cultural Partnerships Australia, gives an impassioned presentation on the power of cultural exchange to assist in the understanding of souls, rituals and celebrations. Croll discusses some of the highlight projects she has initiated between Australia and China, and offers advice on engaging corporate support for the arts.

Special thanks goes to Will McCallum from Asialink, University of Melbourne for the production of this video.

For the Youku (优酷) embedded version, please click here.

澳洲Fairfax驻京记者John Garnaut在2012中澳青年对话

澳大利亚Fairfax集团驻京记者John Garnaut在约20分钟的精彩主题致辞中挑选了中国目前和过去35年内几位政治风云人物，简述了他们的命运、政治生涯中的决定性事件以及对当代中国政治的影响和政治改革的意义。

香港西九龙文化区总裁Michael Lynch在2012中澳青年对话

香港西九龙文化区管理局行政总裁迈克尔•林奇(Michael Lynch)在2012年中澳青年对话上的主题演讲中，用平易近人而又妙趣横生的语言讲述了个人的职业生涯故事以及和中国的特殊情缘，然后结合自身的工作内容阐述了文化对社会发展的意义以及加强中澳两国文化交流的重要意义。

Presentation by John Garnaut at the 2012 Australia-China Youth Dialogue, China World Hotel, Beijing

China Correspondent for Fairfax Media John Garnaut introduces the dynamics of some of China's most important families in a speech themed around the concept of innovation. Speaking one week before the release of his book The Rise and Fall of the House of Bo, Garnaut provides behind the scenes insight into the inner workings of Beijing's political elite.

Special thanks goes to Will McCallum from Asialink, University of Melbourne for the production of this video.

For people in China please view the video here.

ACYD Alumni, where are they now?...Huw Pohlner

Soon after attending the first ACYD in 2010, Huw Pohlner (second from right) promptly quit his Canberra job and went back to China, where he worked for start-up research consultancy China Policy. Huw was only familiar with China Policy and able to get work there after hearing his future boss speak at the ACYD! After moving to Melbourne in January 2012, Huw took up his current role as Manager of Strategy at Asialink (University of Melbourne) ­ Australia¹s leading centre for the promotion of public engagement with Asia. He works in research and policy, and was project manager and lead author on a national strategy to develop an Asia capable workforce. The recommendations of this strategy were adopted by the Australia in the Asian Century White Paper.

Huw has been studying part-time since 2011 and is graduating from a Master of Law, Governance and Development at the ANU. Not a moment too soon, as Huw is about to leave Australia to do even more study. He is the recipient of a General Sir John Monash Scholarship and will commence studies toward a DPhil in Geography and the Environment at Oxford University from October 2013. His research will focus on the local politics and social/environmental impacts of water governance in China.

NB: Applications for the 2013 Australia-China Youth Dialogue (ACYD) in Canberra and Perth (24 to 29 September 2013) are now open! For more information please visit our applications and FAQ pages.

Michael Lynch keynote speech at the 2012 Australia-China Youth Dialogue, Red Gate Gallery, Beijing

Michael Lynch AM CBE, CEO of Hong Kong's West Kowloon Cultural District Authority discusses the enormous challenges and opportunities associated with building an arts precinct from scratch. In a wide-ranging speech at Beijing's Red Gate Gallery, Lynch, who previously held positions with the Sydney Theatre Company, Australia Council and London's Royal Festival Hall, also responded to questions from Dialogue delegates and a public audience.

Special thanks goes to Will McCallum from Asialink, University of Melbourne for the production of this video.

For people in China please view the video here.

2012 ACYD Summary Report

中文/ChineseDownload 2012 ACYD Summary Report (PDF)

At 40 there are no doubts.

Marking the 40th year of diplomatic relations between Australia and the People’s Republic of China, and in anticipation of the 18th National Peoples Congress, the third annual Australia-China Youth Dialogue (ACYD) was held in Beijing and Chengdu, China, from 19 to 24 October 2012.

In 2009, Dr. Stephen Fitzgerald (Australia’s first ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, 1973-76) highlighted the absence of – and a need for – more institutionalised dialogue between Australia and China through both governmental and non-governmental organisations. In 2012, the Hon. Julia Gillard MP, Prime Minister of Australia, stated that “In the Asian century, business as usual is not enough”.

ACYD was founded to address these concerns, and promote frequent and meaningful engagement and more sophisticated cross-cultural understanding among Australian and Chinese youth. Since 2010, ACYD has brought young leaders from Australia and China together with key experts and decision makers to discuss key aspects of the bilateral relationship.

Speakers at ACYD have included HE Ms Frances Adamson, Australian Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, Justin Yifu Lin, former Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of the World Bank, and the Hon. Bob Hawke AC, former Prime Minister of Australia.

ACYD seeks to enhance Sino-Australian relations by promoting to forge lasting connections that will benefit both countries in the future. The main objectives of the ACYD are to:

• Facilitate an understanding of Chinese and Australian culture and society;
• Encourage talented youth to take an active interest in Australia-China relations;
• Bring together Australian and Chinese youth from different sectors to create long-term, mutually beneficial relationships; and
• Encourage youth to seek employment opportunities in future business, research, NGO and/or diplomatic roles between Australia and China.

With the respected former Australian diplomat Richard Woolcott AC recently describing the ACYD as “probably more important than the Australian American Leadership Dialogue,” it is safe to say that the ACYD is well on the way to achieving these aims.

Henry Makeham, Founder

Henry Makeham, ACYD Founder May, 2013