Chinese president meets Australian PM on bilateral ties, tackling global challenges

Source: Xinhua | 04-03-2009 10:02

LONDON, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Thursday agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in trade and the fight against the financial crisis and climate change.

Hu and Rudd were meeting on the sidelines of a Group of 20 (G20) summit on the financial crisis in London.

Hu said that in recent years the development of Sino-Australian relations has been gaining momentum in an all-around way. Both sides have maintained frequent exchanges of high-level visits and deepened mutual political trust.

New achievements have been made in cooperation in energy, resource, environmental protection, education and culture, Hu said, adding that both countries have also enhanced exchanges and coordination in international and regional affairs.

The Chinese president said that both sides should enhance exchanges between their leaders to expand consensus and mutual trust, deepen economic and financial cooperation as well as mutually beneficial cooperation in fields like energy, science and technology and environmental protection.

The two countries should also make concerted efforts in the face of the global financial crisis, and broaden multilateral cooperation in issues of common concern such as regional cooperation and climate change, thus contributing to peace, stability and prosperity of the region and the world at large, Hu added.