Chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC) Li Peng said on Thursday he expected to visit Australia this year, the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Australia.
Li said he looked forward to paying the visit to Australia after a lapse of 14 years.
He made the remarks during his meeting with visiting Australian Speaker of the House of Representatives Neil Andrew in Beidaihe, a summer resort in north China's Hebei Province.
Li thanked Andrew for coming all the way to Beidaihe for the meeting. Andrew is an old friend who has visited China many times, he said.
China has always valued its friendship with Australia, Li Peng said, noting that bilateral ties have been growing over the past three decades. The leaders of both countries have laid the foundation for the healthy and stable development of bilateral ties by reaching consensus on developing all-round cooperation.
The relatively frequent contacts between high-ranking officials of the two countries have actively boosted bilateral relations in recent years. The two sides have also strengthened communication and coordination on regional and international issues.
Li said the two economies are highly complementary. As a result, two-way trade maintains steady growth. He said the two sides share a broader outlook on cooperation after China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). China is ready to expand bilateral trade and economic cooperation to benefit the two peoples.
He said both China and Australia are highly influential in the Asia Pacific region. They should expand common ground and strengthen cooperation in line with the five principles of peaceful coexistence and other widely recognized international codes.
Noting that China advocates exchanges among parliamentary bodies of various countries, and the Chinese NPC attaches great importance on exchanges and cooperation with the Australian counterpart.
Andrew said both chambers of the Australian Federal Parliament look forward to Li's visit to Australia. He also expressed satisfaction over the expansion of trade and personnel exchanges between Australia and China. He said the Australian parliament will continue to make fresh contributions to the development of bilateral relations.
(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2002)
