Prime Minister Julia Gillard today met Premier Wen Jiabao to discuss ways to advance the growing relationship between Australia and China in her first official visit to Beijing as Prime Minister.
The meeting focused on strengthening the bilateral trade and investment relationship as well as enhancing cooperation on challenges such as North Korea's nuclear program, climate change and furthering the global economic recovery through the G20.
The Prime Minister re-affirmed Australia's commitment to reaching a comprehensive, high-quality free trade agreement and agreed to continue talks to achieve this goal.
Following the meeting the Prime Minister and Premier witnessed the signing of a range of agreements that will broaden and deepen the strong Australia-China relationship in science and research, tourism, services trade, customs, resources and infrastructure.
Prime Minister Gillard and Premier Wen launched a new Australia-China Science and Research Fund, which will include a focus on clean energy, to which both governments will commit $9 million each over three years.
China is now Australia's third most important science research partner. Over the past decade, the Australian and Chinese governments have supported more than 140 significant research collaborations in areas as diverse as medical research, disaster management, biodiversity, solar energy, water conservation, food security, wireless communications, new alloys for manufacturing and clean energy.
The Prime Minister and Premier also witnessed the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Strengthening Tourism Cooperation with China, which will increase tourism flows and strengthen people-to-people links between the two countries.
This historic agreement builds on the Approved Destination Status (ADS) scheme which promotes travel for groups to China and Australia.
Today's MoU will encourage further cooperation for travel between the two countries for individuals, companies and students, expanding the scope of this important relationship.
This new deal will provide a further boost our most valuable tourism market, which is currently worth $3 billion per year, or around 13 per cent of total tourism exports.
The new memorandum will also facilitate greater streamlining of the visa process for Chinese travellers, making it more attractive for them to holiday in Australia.
The Prime Minister and Premier Wen also witnessed the signing of an Australia - China Services Sector Promotion Forum to boost cooperation in the trade in services, an MoU to facilitate greater customs engagement between Australia and China and the commercial signing of an agreement between Karara Mining Limited and the China Development Bank & Bank of China on the development of the Karara iron ore project.