Hu Attends Financial Summit, APEC Meeting, Visits
Four Nations
WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu
Jintao and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Sunday pledged joint efforts
to expand bilateral cooperation at their meeting here.
The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Group of
20 (G20) summit on financial markets and the world economy.
Hu said China and Australia are witnessing healthy
and rapid development of bilateral ties, with ever deepening mutual
understanding and trust. Marked achievements have been secured in the mutually
beneficial cooperation in trade, energy, environmental protection, technology,
education, culture, law enforcement and tourism, he said.
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Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) shakes hands with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd during their meeting in Washington Nov. 16, 2008.(Xinhua Photo)
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Bilateral trade is growing rapidly and negotiations
on a free trade agreement are making steady progress, the Chinese president
said.
Hu said both sides are maintaining coordination on
major global issues like climate change and the current financial crisis, and
have seen increasing consensus and cooperation.
He pointed out that China and Australia face
unprecedented opportunities for deepening all-round bilateral cooperation in the
face of many global challenges to the international community.
China is ready to work with Australia to keep
high-level contacts, enhance exchanges and dialogue and deepen mutual trust and
cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, Hu
said.
Rudd said Australia hopes to elevate bilateral
relations to the level of a strategic partnership.
Australia is willing to open its doors to Chinese
investment in the energy and raw material sectors and expects China to provide
more opportunities for Australian products and services to enter the Chinese
market, he said.
Australia hopes to enhance high-level political
dialogue with China in international organizations and international affairs,
and strengthen bilateral and multilateral consultations and cooperation, Rudd
said.
The Chinese president described the G20 summit in
Washington asa success and urged all sides involved to make joint efforts to
implement the agreements reached at the meeting.
He also called for strong measures to stop the
financial crisis from spreading further and to restore confidence and market
stability.
All sides involved should adjust their macroeconomic
policy and make full use of monetary and fiscal measures to promote growth and
avoid a global recession, he said.
There is a need to steadily push forward reforms of
the international financial system to make it conducive to the stability of
financial markets and economic growth, he said.
China has adopted a series of measures to promote
growth and boost domestic demand, Hu said, adding that these measures, while
promoting China's economic growth, will also help stabilize the world economy.
Hu also said the measures will provide new
opportunities for Australian businesses and called on both sides to seize the
opportunities to promote bilateral trade and economic ties.
Rudd praised China's contributions to the positive
outcome of the G20 summit and said China's recently-announced economic stimulus
package is good news for both the Chinese and the world economy.
He said China's policies during the Asian financial
crisis in 1997 contributed to the economic recovery and growth of the region,
and Australia sees favorably China's similar actions this time.
Rudd expressed confidence that the current
difficulties in the world economy will be overcome, and he said Australia hopes
both sides will strengthen cooperation to jointly contribute to global economic
growth.
The United States is the first leg of President Hu's
five-nation tour, which will also take him to Costa Rica, Cuba, Peru and Greece.
During his stay in Peru, he will attend the Economic
Leaders' Informal Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum
in Lima.
