Beijing, People's Republic of China
Prime Minister Julia Gillard today concluded her second visit to China, having held substantive discussions with China's new President and Premier weeks after China's historic leadership transition.
This trip was the most senior Australian political delegation to visit China, with the Prime Minister joined by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Minister for Trade and Competitiveness and the Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation.
The Gillard Government set out its commitment to broadening and deepening Australia's relationship with China in the White Paper on Australia in the Asian Century.
During this visit, the Prime Minister and the Chinese leadership agreed to upgraded bilateral architecture based on an annual leaders meeting and ministerial-level economic and foreign and strategic dialogues.
These arrangements will provide a modern platform to give renewed strategic direction to the relationship.
This major outcome was accompanied by a range of policy announcements spanning business and finance, tourism, international cooperation, defence and climate change.
Australia and China announced the start of direct trading between the Australian dollar and the Chinese renminbi (RMB), making it easier for Australian businesses, large and small, to buy and sell into the Chinese market, encouraging greater two-way investment and ensuring Australia gets in on the ground floor as China moves towards internationalising its currency.
Australia and China agreed to establish a carbon trading experts group and to conduct joint research on carbon trading issues as China moves towards its own national emissions trading scheme after 2015, building on the large scale pilot schemes it will roll out across seven cities and provinces, covering an estimated 255 million people.
The Prime Minister announced that Australia will move towards facilitated border clearance for the growing number of Chinese tourists and business travellers through an initial pilot scheme to make “Smartgate” open to Chinese e-passport holders.
The Gillard Government announced plans for Australia Week in China to be based in Shanghai in 2014 as a showcase of the best Australia has to offer in tourism, trade and investment.
In Beijing the Prime Minister launched ‘Expanding our Horizons: Forty Years of Australia-China Collaboration and Exchange in Education, Science and Research' which for the first time captures the breadth of our education, research and science relationship with China over the past forty years.
The Prime Minister also witnessed the signing of a new development cooperation partnership bringing Australia and China together as partners to address some of the most pressing development issues facing the region, including drug resistant malaria, HIV/AIDS and water resource management in developing countries.
In the area of defence cooperation, the Prime Minister announced strengthened bilateral defence links with China through the establishment of new initiatives between the Australian Defence Forces and the People's Liberation Army.
Australia and China launched a strategic policy exchange bringing together officials of Australia's Department of Defence and China's People's Liberation Army to discuss regional security issues and an inaugural Australia-China Military Friendship and Culture Week, to be held in Canberra in September/October 2013.