CANBERRA: China and Australia signed agreements yesterday on the peaceful use
of nuclear energy and uranium supply, which have been hailed as a landmark in
bilateral relations.
Premier Wen Jiabao and his Australian counterpart John Howard witnessed the
signing of the pacts following one-and-half hours of talks.
"China-Australia relations have never been as good as they are today," Wen
said at a joint news conference with Howard following the signing ceremony.
"There are no issues left over from history and there are no cultural matters
standing in the way of bilateral relations."
Wen arrived in Canberra on Sunday on an official visit, the first stop of a
four-nation tour that will also take him to New Zealand, Fiji and Cambodia.
He flew in from Perth, the capital of Western Australia, where he attended a
briefing on Australia's abundant energy and other natural resources.
The country has 40 per cent of the world's known uranium reserves.
Australia requires countries that have signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty to agree on separate nuclear safeguards with Canberra before it exports
uranium.
Wen stressed that China would honour the safeguards pact and its
responsibilities under the international atomic energy and non-proliferation
treaties.
"We believe these safeguard mechanisms will ensure that nuclear co-operation
will not be used for non-peaceful purposes," he told the news conference.
Six other inter-governmental pacts and documents on education, agriculture
and safe coal-mine production as well as a series of commercial deals on mineral
products, natural gas and power were also signed yesterday.
Howard said the nuclear and other commercial deals highlighted the
rapidly-developing relations between Australia and China.
"Of all the important relationships that Australia has with other countries,
none has been more greatly transformed over the last 10 years than our
relationship with China," Howard said.
The two governments also agreed to step up negotiations on the establishment
of a free trade area.
Bilateral trade has seen rapid growth and hit US$27.3 billion last year.
China is Australia's second-largest trading partner and also its second-largest
overseas market. Energy and mineral products account for about 60 per cent of
Australia's exports to China, which has become Australia's largest buyer of iron
ore and nickel.
Referring to the soaring cost of iron ore, Wen said the price should be
determined by market forces.
Chinese buyers are in price talks with leading suppliers BHP Billiton Ltd and
Rio Tinto Group of Australia and Brazil's Companhia Vale do Rio Doce for setting
a new price this year.
China reportedly buys about half of Australia's annual iron exports, worth
about 18 billion Australian dollars (US$12.6 billion).
In a speech delivered at a banquet hosted by Howard yesterday, Wen said China
adopts a path of peaceful development.
"It is by no means an expediency. Rather, it is a fundamental choice and
solemn commitment made by the Chinese Government and people," he said.
China Daily
(China Daily 04/04/2006 page1)