PRIME MINISTER:
Since talking to you I had meetings with the President, with the Chairman of the National People';s Congress, and the former President and now Chairman of the Military Commission, Jiang Zemin. I can announce that President Hu Jintao will visit Australia later this year. I am delighted that he has accepted my invitation. It will be one of the first, if not the first, series of bilateral visits overseas since he has become President and it is a very important…
I am very pleased to announce that President Hu Jintao has accepted my invitation to pay an official visit Australia. The visit will take place later this year. The final details will be announced in due course. This is a very important symbol of how important the Chinese regard the relationship and how important we regard it and the fact that he will visit Australia as one of the very first countries he visits on a bilateral basis as President is a measure of the closeness of the relationship and the respect that both our countries pay to that relationship. My discussions this afternoon continued the momentum of the discussions this morning, and in it has been a very discussion packed day, and it';s not over yet but it has been an extremely valuable opportunity for me to get to know the new leaders of China. They are different, there';s a continuity, but they have got a different style and they have got a different approach and it';s tremendously important to the bilateral relationship that I get to know them on a personal basis very early in their terms in office and I am delighted that President Hu Jintao has chosen to accept my invitation so early in his term.
JOURNALIST:
How much did North Korea, Prime Minister, factor in your discussion with Jiang Zemin?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it factored in all of my discussions. I talked to Jiang Zemin about it, obviously he';s the Chairman of the Military Commission, he';s not the President now, but North Korea is the issue of the day, the issue really of the year in this part of the world. We are moving in the right direction. The Chinese deserve great credit for the leadership they have displayed. They have got people together, the meeting will take place here in Beijing before the end of the month, the six power meeting, and that is very good news.
JOURNALIST:
Are the Chinese as concerned about North Korea as say, Australia and the United States is?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think everybody is concerned about North Korea, so they should be.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, what is the main purpose of President Hu';s visit?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the purpose is to demonstrate first and foremost that Australia';s relationship with China is very important to the Chinese. There will be an opportunity to further explore the nature of our formal economic relationship, although our actual economic relationship is very important. And he will have an opportunity to see different parts of the country and I couldn';t be more delighted that he has seen fit to visit Australia so early in his term. It does rather indicate that it is a very important relationship, which it is.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, did the relationship between Australia and China, two very very different countries, (inaudible), do you think that has the capacity to (inaudible)
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I am always very reluctant to make extravagant comments. The reality is that despite our differences we have been able to work together very closely because from the time I became Prime Minister and particularly from the time I had my first meeting with then President Jiang Zemin, I was determined that we were going to focus on the things we had in common, rather than the things on which we disagree and as a result I think our relationship has been very good but as to whether it';s this or that…(inaudible).
JOURNALIST:
Just on a domestic issue, what is your reaction to Richard Butler';s appointment as Governor of Tasmania?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don';t have one.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister,China has won international admiration for its job on North Korea, does Australia expect similar cooperation from China on the issue of Taiwan and on human rights? The military invasion of Taiwan is currently is not very possible at this stage but there are speculations that China might have other means of (inaudible) threat.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don';t have any words to add speculation about that .I just remind you that we have a one China policy and in all of my discussions both today and previously I have always encouraged a calm approach from everybody in relation to relations between Taiwan and the People';s Republic. That';s the view I expressed to the Americans and it';s the view I expressed to everybody and I believe the whole temperature of that has gone down.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible]Prime Minister did you bring up Burma with the Chinese?
PRIME MINISTER:
No.
PRIME MINISTER:
Prime Minister, given the very encouraging developments today in terms of the
(Inaudible) with the Chinese?
PRIME MINISTER:
No.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, given the very encouraging developments today in terms of the trade relationship with China, where do you stand in terms of re-valuation of the Chinese currency? Do you share…
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that';s a matter for the Chinese.
JOURNALIST:
But Japan and….
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it';s a matter….I don';t come traipsing around the world telling people what to do with their currency. I of course am Prime Minister of a country that has a floating exchange rate and we let the market determine those things. Thanks.
[Ends]
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, given the very encouraging developments today in terms of the trade relationship with china, where do you stand in terms of re-valuation of the Chinese currency? Do you share…
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that';s a matter for the Chinese.
JOURNALIST:
But Japan and….
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it';s a matter….I don';t come traipsing around the world telling people what to do with their currency. I of course am Prime Minister of a country that has a floating exchange rate and we let the market determine those things. Thanks.
[Ends]