'Crucial' visits to Egypt, Asia-Pacific

By Zhang Xin (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-28 07:57

Premier Wen Jiabao will visit Egypt next month and attend the second China-Africa summit, days after Vice-Premier Li Keqiang wraps up a tour of three Asia-Pacific nations that will possibly thaws a frigid China-Australia relationship.

The premier will land in Egypt on Nov 6 and will attend the summit over the following two days, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu at a regular news conference yesterday.

The summit will likely issue an action plan that will cover commitments between China and Africa from 2010 to 2012. Details about what aid or other agreements China may announce were not provided.

"This meeting will be of major significance in promoting China-Africa relations under new conditions," Ma said, adding that Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Commerce Minister Chen Deming will join Wen.

Vice-Premier Li will visit Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea from Oct 29 to Nov 5.

Chinese observers said Li's visits will bring a complete comeback of the frozen Sino-Australian ties after a few bumps in the road in the last few months.

Chen Fengying, director of the Institute of World Economic Studies under the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said that Sino-Australian ties have been strained by the Rio Tinto commercial espionage case, and by Australia's granting of a visa to Uygur separatist leader Rebiya Kadeer. Now China and Australia are ready to deal with each other, Chen said.

Chen said that Australia should not have taken up their assumed "China threat mentality" that posed a hindrance to ties.

"Chinese and Australian economies are complementary and the favorable bond should be further developed," said Fan Ying, an expert with Beijing-based China Foreign Affairs University, adding that any protectionism against investment proposals from Chinese enterprises in Australia's resource industry will harm the joint effort.

Fan said Australia is dependent on China's economy - China is Australia's biggest trading partner - and Australia boasts plentiful mining resources. It is in the interest of both sides to strengthen political trust and economic cooperation, Fan said.

On Monday, Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said in Canberra that his nation maintains a long-standing, consistent, open and welcoming stance toward foreign investment from China due to their strong and growing economic ties.

Australia is China's eighth largest trading partner and an important supplier of energy resources. Bilateral trade volume reached $59.66 billion last year. New Zealand is the first developed country to sign a bilateral free trade agreement with China.