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Context: Sydney (CNN) -- Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott, the two men vying to be Australia's prime minister in the September 7 national election, offer contrasting views on China, the country that looms largest on Australia's economic and strategic horizon. 

Rudd, the Chinese-speaking incumbent prime minister in the Labor-led government, says the China resources boom is over and Australia needs to prepare for that transition, given how important China has become as a trade partner in the past decade. 

China is a key destination for Australian resources such as iron ore, coal and LNG. But in recent months, even China's breakneck economic pace has hit some speed bumps. 

On the broader geopolitical front, Rudd wants China and the United States to carve out a new Asia-Pacific "strategic road-map" that will enhance trade, investment and security in the region. 

READ MORE: Rudd: Better second time around? 

The Opposition's view on China 

Abbott, who has led the opposition Liberal Party since 2009, wants the Australia-China relationship to move from one based on shared interests to one of "shared values." 

But he notes that Australia's friendship with China is more recent than that with Japan, and less developed than that with the United States. 

In a major policy speech to a business audience in Beijing last year, Abbott said he believed it would take time before Australia's ties with China approached "the warmth that we take for granted with America." Still, he believes it is an effort worth making. 

Like his mentor, former Australian prime minister John Howard, Abbott is a rock-solid supporter of Australia's military alliance with the United States, and believes that it is possible to be friends both with Washington and Beijing. Howard, he said, "understood that you could make a new friend without losing an old one." 
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Who has led the Liberal Party?
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Tony Abbott
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Who is he running against?
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Kevin Rudd
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What language does Rudd speak?
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Chinese
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Why is China important to Australia?
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China is a key destination for Australian resources
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What does Rudd want China and the United States to do?
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carve out a new Asia-Pacific "strategic road-map"
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What is Abbott's view on the Australia-China relationship?
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to move from one based on shared interests to one of "shared values."
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Who does Australia have a more recent friendship with?
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China
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Is China important to Australia?
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Yes
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Do Abbot and Rudd hold the same views on China?
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No
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Who is Abbott's mentor?
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John Howard
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Who is John Howard?
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former Australian prime minister
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Does Abbott think it's worth the effort to maintain ties with China?
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Yes
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What will the "strategic road-map" help do?
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enhance trade, investment and security
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Where did Abbott give a policy speech last year?
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Beijing
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How long has Abbott led the Liberal Party?
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since 2009
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When is the election?
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September 7
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What office are the two running for?
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prime minister
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Does Australia have a longer friendship with Japan or China?
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Japan
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What did Abbot say in his speech in Beijing?
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it would take time before Australia's ties with China approached "the warmth that we take for granted with America."
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What does John Howard think of Abbott?
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understood that you could make a new friend without losing an old one."