Premier Li says China willing to enhance cooperation with Australia

Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Monday that China is willing to enhance coordination and cooperation with Australia at regional and international levels, calling for opposing camp confrontation and a "new Cold War."

Li made the remarks during the ninth China-Australia Annual Leaders' Meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

China is ready to work with Australia to build a more mature, stable and fruitful China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership, Li said.

The Chinese premier said that since Albanese visited China last November, China and Australia have further restored and developed dialogue and cooperation in various fields, achieving a comprehensive turnaround in bilateral relations.

He said China is willing to work with Australia to maintain and develop the current hard-won positive momentum of bilateral relations.

The essential characteristics of China-Australia relations are mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, and the development of China and Australia is an opportunity rather than a challenge to each other, Li said.

He said China is willing to stick to its comprehensive strategic partnership with Australia, give full play to the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue and other mechanisms, continuously boost trade, actively expand cooperation in new energy vehicles, renewable energy power generation and other fields, and strengthen subnational, cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation.

Li expressed the hope that the Australian side can provide a fair, just and nondiscriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises and provide more convenience for personnel exchanges between the two sides.

China is willing to work with Australia to advance regional economic integration and build an open world economy, Li said.

For his part, Albanese said Australia adheres to the one-China policy and does not support "Taiwan independence."

He said Australia supports China's development and prosperity, highly appreciates China's significant contributions to global poverty reduction and is willing to maintain dialogue and communication with China.

Albanese said Australia hopes to deepen cooperation with China in economy and trade, energy, cultural exchange, environmental protection and climate change mitigation.

The two leaders agreed to stick to the orientation of the China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership, consolidate the momentum of improvement and development of China-Australia relations and jointly maintain regional and world peace, stability and prosperity.

The two sides will hold the 10th Meeting of the China-Australia Joint Science and Technology Commission, the 8th China-Australia High-Level Dialogue and the 8th Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Change this year.

China will include Australia in the list of unilateral visa-free countries. Both sides agreed to provide each other with reciprocal access to multi-entry visas for up to three to five years for tourism, business and visiting family members.

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.

After the meeting, the two leaders jointly witnessed the signing of several bilateral cooperation documents related to strategic economic dialogue, implementation of the free trade agreement, climate change, education and culture, among others, and jointly met the press. The two sides issued theStatement on Joint Outcomes of the China-Australia Annual Leaders' Meeting.

(With input from Xinhua)