Australian Consul-General’s Blog on Southwest China
Welcome to my blog on southwest China. 
At the Australian Consulate-General in Chengdu, my staff and I are in a privileged position of building and strengthening ties between Australia and southwest China on a daily basis. This region is increasingly important to Australia – it is growing very fast economically, has a healthy appetite for Australia’s exports, and more people from both sides are coming into contact with each other. Yet, many people outside China, including Australians, know very little about southwest China.
So the purpose of this blog is to raise the awareness of this region among Australians. We often hear about how important China is to Australia economically, politically and strategically, and that this importance will only increase as our economies become more intertwined. This being the case, it is more crucial than ever that we have a better understanding of the vastness and complexity of China. Tackling any big items, it is best to start with bite size pieces, so it is from southwest China that this blog attempts to make sense of it, through Australian eyes.
I will chronicle my impressions of southwest China through my visits to various parts of the region and my contact with local officials, scholars, businesspeople, students and Australians. I hope to bring my perspective of this dynamic and captivating region directly to readers in Australia, and in a small way contribute to public understanding of China.
I intend this blog to be informative and interesting. It is not meant to be a policy discourse on Australia’s foreign and economic policy towards China, as all content is in line with Australian Government policy. All material is sourced from public channels.
I hope you enjoy reading what follows, and sharing our journey as we reach out to the provinces of southwest China.
I welcome your comments on my blog. Please send them to [email protected].
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