Gillard visit reflects region's rising status

The multi-faceted results Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's visit to China achieved this week indicate the two countries are determined to lift their bilateral ties to a higher, more mutually beneficial and healthier level.

Among the series of agreements Beijing and Canberra signed during Gillard's visit, the most significant is the one on elevating their relationship to a "strategic partnership". In an apparent move to substantiate their strategic partnership based on mutual trust and common prosperity, Premier Li Keqiang and Gillard announced on April 9 that their countries will maintain high-level visits and enhance mutual strategic trust by starting such mechanisms as diplomatic and strategic dialogue and strategic economic dialogue.

Under the new mechanisms, the Chinese premier and Australian prime minister will meet every year, so will the two countries' foreign ministers and heads of economic departments. The Australian media applauded the move as a "leap forward", saying China has similar arrangements only with the United Kingdom, Germany and Russia.