CHINA'S appetite for Australian commodities will last at least another decade despite the recent Communist Party move to slow economic growth to avoid inflation.

The reassurance came yesterday from China's envoy to Melbourne, who noted that Australia avoided recession after the global financial crisis because of China's demand for Australian commodities.

''With the United States and Europe's continuing weakness, the performance of China's economy has attracted global attention,'' said Weiqiang Shi, consul-general of the People's Republic of China.

''Australia is even more concerned about China's economic growth as it has a big stake in China's prosperity. China is still deeply engaged in the process of urbanisation and industrialisation [and] I wish to reassure Australians here that China's demand for commodities will continue to grow for the next decade at least.''

Speaking at the Australia-China Business Week in Melbourne, Mr Shi said China's latest five-year plan introduced an economic growth target of 7 per cent. The economy grew by 9.6 per cent in the first half of this year, compared with the same period last year. Annual economic growth was running at 12 per cent in early 2010.