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)