Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao
on Thursday met with Australian business leaders and New South
Wales Governor Marie Bashir and Premier Robert Carr, and exchanged
views with them on strengthening cooperation between
China and Australia.
During talks with Australian business leaders, President Hu was
first briefed on the cooperation between Chinese and Australian
companies. Hu said China will open up further to the outside
world.
The Chinese and Australian economies are complementary to each
other. With the Chinese economy fast growing, China's demands for
energy and resources will continue to rise, and the two sides can
establish long-term, stable and cooperative relations through trade
and investment as Australia is rich in natural resources, Hu
said.
China's economic and consumption structures are changing, and
demands for services like telecommunication, tourism, education and
culture are booming, which provides great opportunities of
cooperation between the two countries, the Chinese president
said.
China's strategy to develop its western part and to revitalize
its northeastern area offers increasing business opportunities, and
China welcomes Australian companies to invest in China's western
and northeastern regions, Hu said.
Australian business leaders said they were encouraged by the
great potential of cooperation between Australia and China and
would work for the establishment of all-round economic and trade
ties between the two sides.
Meeting with Bashir and Carr, Hu said both sides benefited from
the cooperation between China and New South Wales state and Sydney,
which also boosted China-Australia relations.
Bashir expressed willingness to push forward the cooperation
between New South Wales and China, saying strengthening
Australia-China ties is conducive to stability and prosperity in
the Asia-Pacific region.
Carr said China is New South Wales's third largest trading
partner, and the state would like to work with China in expanding
economic, cultural, educational and technological cooperation
between the two sides.
(Xinhua News Agency October 24, 2003)