I will be making a working visit to the United States of America, Europe, and China from 27 March to 13 April.
The purpose of the visit is to advance Australia's security, foreign policy and business interests, and to advance Australia's contribution to the global response on climate change.
In the United States (27 March-1 April), I will meet President Bush - with whom I discussed the visit on the telephone this morning - and other senior members of the Administration. We are both looking forward to a friendly and constructive meeting covering the range of our common security and economic interests.
I will also be meeting other senior members of the Administration and the Congress. As well, I will meet US business leaders and Australians doing business in the United States, and address the US Chamber of Commerce.
Consistent with the importance the Australian Government attaches to multilateral engagement, I will hold discussions at the United Nations in New York.
In Brussels (2-3 April), I will meet the President and senior members of the European Commission. My objective is to expand our relationship and cooperation with the Commission on global foreign policy challenges, the WTO Doha round of international trade talks, and climate change.
In Bucharest, I will be attending a summit meeting of NATO Heads of Government which will decide on ways of improving the effectiveness of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) strategy and mission in Afghanistan.
In the United Kingdom (4-8 April), I will meet Prime Minister Brown and other senior members of the Cabinet. I will hold meetings with the financial and broader business sectors and hold talks on climate change issues. I will be addressing the Confederation of British Industry and Australian Business on future growth sectors of the Australian economy.
I have accepted Prime Minister Brown's invitation also to attend a conference of the Progressive Governance Summit which will bring together around 15 national leaders from different countries.
In the People's Republic of China (9-12 April), I will be meeting senior leaders, including President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, and the new generation of leadership emerging from the 17th Party Congress. I will be exploring areas for greater bilateral cooperation, including in climate change and trade in services.
I will be working closely in that visit with representatives of the Australian business community seeking to expand their trade and investment opportunities in China - Australia's largest trading partner.