The Australian state of Western Australia (WA) has witnessed a fall in economic growth since the decline of the decade-long mining and resource boom, but the state 's leader is still confident in a strong growth.
"I'm sure China will continue to experience strong growth, and if that's 7 percent instead of 12 percent, 7 percent on a big Chinese economy is still a huge demand for national resources," WA Premier Colin Barnett said.
"It's a quieter period now... We've seen the effect of falls in prices and demand, but I expect that'll be a normal cyclical event, " he said in a recent interview Xinhua for the Talk to China series.
Australian economists agree, saying at 7 percent GDP growth, - that was announced in July - the Chinese economy is still adding more in dollar terms than it was ten years ago, raising living standards as the economy transforms to a consumer-led focus.
Barnett said the main influence to the WA economy has been the fall in prices of key commodities, particularly iron ore, oil and natural gas, however it needs to be carefully examined.
WA exports of iron ore to China have grown from 80 million tonnes per year to 550 million tonnes per year in a decade, Barnett said.
"So enormous growth in the iron ore industry here as a result of China's demand," Barnett said. "Now I expect that's leveling off now, but it's gone to a huge level."
Barnett said it was not just iron ore that has grown, but exports of the state's other natural resources due to China's demand.
"We will have trebled our liquefied natural gas (LNG) production to the extent that by the end of the decade we will probably exceed the Gulf state of Qatar," Barnett said.
"The really spectacular growth may be behind us, but I still see China as our number one customer, a major investor [in Western Australia]."
