China calls for new era with Australia after year of crises

Visiting vice premier Li Keqiang vowed to work for the long-awaited free-trade agreement and urged a “new level” in contacts beyond massive, multi-billion dollar iron ore and coal exports.

“We should seize and look at the general picture and we should ensure our bilateral relationship is brought to a new level and greater depth consistently,” Li told the Australia-China Business Council.

Li, widely tipped as China's next premier, is his country's most senior official to visit since the arrest of an Australian passport-holding mining executive shattered relations in July.

He spoke glowingly of ties with Australia, citing “enormous” development opportunities and calling for greater people-to-people contacts between the two countries.

“China and Australia have extensive common interests and a solid basis for cooperation in many areas,” he said, adding “the bilateral relationship has become more strategic in nature.”

Chinese media were incensed in June when Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto snubbed a huge cash injection by state-run Chinalco. Weeks later, senior executive Stern Hu was arrested and charged with industrial espionage.

Australia and China also clashed over a visit by exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer and over a documentary about her life which Beijing tried to have withdrawn from the Melbourne film festival.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was expected to raise Hu's plight in talks with Li later. Li, who departs on Sunday, has already signed agreements on forestry, education, telecommunications and cultural relics.

Chinese ambassador to Australia Zhang Junsai was also upbeat, saying relations with Canberra were “facing a new starting point.”

“I believe it will enter a new phase through joint efforts in boosting cooperation,” he told the official Xinhua news agency.

Two-way business hit 74 billion dollars (US$67.7 billion) last year and is averaging 22.5 percent growth over the last five years, putting China on course to outstrip Japan as Australia's top trading partner.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos Respond to this email