To many Chinese people, especially those in south China鈥檚 Guangdong Province, Harry Harding is one of their most familiar faces as an Aussie expat.

Coming to China in 2010, the 30-year-old Queenslander who is better known as Hazza is not only a host with the Guangdong Radio and Television, but also a singer who can sing in Mandarin.

However, his wishes for the year 2021 had nothing to do with viewer ratings or new songs.

Hazza said that he wished to see the relationship between Australia and China be reset, and that travel between the two countries which was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic be resumed.

鈥淎 partnership with China is probably the best opportunity that we have for a prosperous future in my mind, after being here for 10 years,鈥� he said.

China is constantly changing

A linguistics major from the Griffith University, Hazza started learning Mandarin from grade one and speaks fluent Mandarin.

鈥淚 always had a plan to embark on a career that would involve China in some way,鈥� he recalled.

As a full-time employee at Guangdong TV, Hazza has managed to travel to different places for interviews, covering topics from reform and opening-up, to the rural revitalization strategy and the COVID-19 pandemic. During the process, he got opportunities to learn about the country where he lives.

Through reports of the rural revitalization strategy, he witnessed how 鈥渙ur villages in Guangdong are being lifted out of poverty.鈥�

While reporting on COVID-19 in Guangzhou, he was impressed by the efforts of the Chinese people in combating the pandemic.

鈥淧eople have to remember that when the first outbreak occurred, it was a brand-new virus, and China had no prior warning,鈥� he said. 鈥淐hina鈥檚 response to the outbreak was (done) very well.鈥�

鈥淚 reported on the virus, and the advice from day one was to wear a mask,鈥� he continued. 鈥淎nd here in China, people just follow the advice of experts.鈥�

During his work over the years, Hazza got to know China better than many other foreigners.

鈥淢y impression of China in general is that it鈥檚 constantly changing,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s someone who has been here for 10 years, I鈥檝e seen the people around me become more prosperous, and the overall sense of well-being here in China has increased massively since I first moved here.鈥�

鈥淚t is great to constantly learn about this country,鈥� he added. 鈥淭he more I learn, the more I like this country.鈥�

鈥楩eel like living in parallel worlds鈥�

However, when Hazza reads about China from Australian media, he felt like he is 鈥渓iving in two parallel worlds.鈥�

鈥淭he China that I hear about from Western media just doesn鈥檛 align with the China that I live in,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ometimes I feel like, even if China does well at something, the (Australian) media are reluctant to report on it because ... China is a socialist country.鈥�

Hazza is also a reporter, so he has taken great interest in reading media reports from Australia.

He said that in Australia, people are exposed to media from the United States. This point of view from Hazza was also reflected in a Guardian report last year, which said Rupert Murdoch鈥檚 News Corp controlled more than half of the newspaper market in Australia.

鈥淭he right-wing government of the United States sees China as a threat, an adversary,鈥� Hazza said. 鈥淲e as Australians have been exposed to that because we speak the same language.鈥�

China has been a peaceful country for decades, and has been a contributor to peace, said Hazza. 鈥淏ut look at how many military bases the United States has around Asia. Honestly, for our region, a stable, prosperous China is very beneficial.鈥�

He noted that the Australian people need to remind themselves that they are 鈥渘ot the United States.鈥�

鈥淲e are in a completely different situation from the United States,鈥� he said.

Talking about the negative reports from the West, Hazza said: 鈥淐hina is such a vast country, so statistically speaking, if you are purely looking for negative stories, you will find them. But there are also a whole lot of good things in China.鈥�

Hazza said that if he could send a message to the Chinese people, he would say: 鈥淢ost people in Australia are decent, kind people, but we have been misled by the media.鈥�

If he could send a message to Australia, he would like to say: 鈥淲e do need to take a different approach when it comes to China. I think politicians should refrain from trying to use China to create a common enemy among the people, and ... not be so vocal about criticizing China.鈥�

Calling Guangzhou his 鈥渟econd home,鈥� Hazza said that when he first went to China a decade ago, the relationship between the two countries was good. 鈥淚鈥檝e been watching the relationship deteriorate from China as an Australian.鈥�

As he grew famous in China, Hazza attempted to use his social media platform to improve understandings between his Chinese and Australian followers.

Last month, amid the war of words about a cartoon showing atrocities by the Australian soldiers against Afghan children, he said he felt sorry for the anti-China rhetoric from Australia over the last 24 months.

鈥淪ometimes, I get messages online from people calling me a traitor, which kind of upsets me,鈥� Hazza said.

He also received positive feedback from Australians 鈥渨ho thank me for doing what I鈥檓 doing.鈥�

To him, exchanges and mutual understanding among ordinary people are important, which is the reason why he believes more Australian people should learn Chinese and get to know about the country better.

This is also one of his aims in producing Chinese music. A fan of pop singer Jay Chou, Hazza released his new song in Mandarin last year, which peaked among the top five on local radio charts.

鈥淚 would like to show my fellow Australians that it鈥檚 not scary or daunting to learn Chinese,鈥� he said.

He had two wishes for the New Year: that the COVID-19 pandemic could be controlled so that travel could resume between China and Australia, and that the relationship between the two countries be reset.

Two days prior to the New Year, he forwarded a post about China helping evacuate a sick expeditioner from Antarctica.

鈥淭here is still hope for the Australia-China relationship,鈥� he wrote.