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Wen's Asia-Pacific tour 'fruitful' (China Daily) Updated: 2006-04-10 08:50
Premier Wen Jiabao wound up his four-nation Asia-Pacific tour following an
official visit to Cambodia on Saturday, which Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said
was "fruitful" and "rich in content".
The eight-day visit also took Wen
to Australia, Fiji, and New Zealand. During the visit, Wen attended the
inauguration of the China-Pacific islands economic development forum in Fiji.
This is the first visit by a Chinese premier to the South Pacific. A
total of 70 bilateral or multilateral diplomatic activities took place and 59
agreements and documents were signed during the tour.
The premier's visit
has elevated the level of bilateral relations between China and the four
nations, Li told reporters in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, at the end of Wen's visit on
Saturday.
"It helps promote the mutually beneficial partnership with
Australia and New Zealand in key areas and build a platform for friendship and
co-operation with the Asia-Pacific Islands," Li said.
Premier Wen held
"pragmatic and constructive" discussions with the leaders of Australia and New
Zealand for co-operation in trade, energy and mineral resources. He also agreed
to seek common development through equal consultations, Li said. In addition,
uranium-rich Australia agreed to export the resource to China for the peaceful
use of nuclear energy during Wen's visit to the country.
China has
reached a consensus with Australia to achieve "substantial progress" in the
talks of the establishment of the free trade area within one or two years, Li
said.
At Wen's last stop, China and Cambodia signed 11 new agreements in
areas including health, telecommunications, fighting transnational crimes and
preserving Cambodia's famed 800-year-old Angkor Temples, a major overseas
destination for Chinese tourists. China also offered US$600 million in
new aid and loans for two new bridges and other projects in
Cambodia. During their talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in
Phnom Penh, Wen and his Cambodian counterpart vowed to establish a comprehensive
partnership. Wen stressed that China supported the integration process
of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and backed ASEAN in
playing a leading role in the East Asian co-operation process.
Responding
to his Chinese guest, Hun Sen said his country is ready to work with China to
deepen the co-operation between China and ASEAN.
Wen's Asia-Pacific tour
looks to the future of bilateral relations with related countries and is
conducive to increasing understanding and support from the international
community for China's peaceful development, Li said. (For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates) |
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