Leaders from Australia, China discuss future trade at Perth summit

SYDNEY–The Australia-China Emerging Leaders Summit (ACELS) has been taking place from Wednesday to Saturday in Perth, Western Australia (WA), with 80 young leaders coming to discuss the future of trade and investment.

Organized by the Australia-China Youth Association, ACELS is a biannual summit where students and young professionals develop skills, increase their understanding of bilateral interests and build personal connections.

It is the first time that Perth, the state capital of WA, hosted the summit with delegates from China and Australia, discussing diplomacy, entrepreneurship, mining innovation and healthcare.

"Programs such as ACELS are excellent opportunities to showcase WA's areas of expertise to young leaders such as yourselves and to further develop our people-to-people links with China," Asian Engagement and Youth Minister Peter Tinley said in an address on Friday.

"More than 70 Chinese companies, including 40 Chinese state-owned enterprises, either have stakes in Western Australian companies or in projects around the state and to date, total Chinese investment in the state has exceeded an impressive 30 billion Australian dollars (20.8 billion U.S. dollars)."

"Events such as the summit showcase WA as a destination in itself but also as a source of expertise, skills, and innovation, and of course a vast diversity of quality mineral, energy and agricultural products," said Tinley.