Xi's visit to Australia to promote bilateral ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to Australia is of important significance in deepening bilateral ties, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang said on Thursday.

Xi will attend the 9th G20 Summit in Brisbane, Australia and pay state visits to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. The Summit is slated for Nov. 15 and 16 while the state visits are from Nov. 16 to 23. Xi will pay a state visit to Australia at the invitation of Australian Governor-General Peter Cosgrove and Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

According to Zheng, this is Chinese President's first visit to Australia in recent seven years and it is Xi's first visit to Oceanian countries since he became the Chinese President.

Zheng said Australia is an important country in the Asia-Pacific region and an important partner for China. The China-Australia relationship has a sound development and both countries keep close high-level exchanges.

Australia is China's 8th largest trading partner and bilateral trade volume topped 130 billion U.S. dollars in 2013. China has been Australia's largest trade partner for the past five years, Zheng said.

During his visit, Xi will meet Australian leaders and give important speeches. Xi will also meet local officials and attend a meeting with some CEOs from both China and Australia, Zheng said.

During Xi's visit, some government departments and enterprises from both countries will sign some cooperation documents, Zheng said.

According to Zheng, at present, China is Australia's largest source of overseas students and largest source of tourism income.

Zheng expressed his belief that China-Australia relationship can move to a higher level through mutual respect and trust, a win-win spirit, focusing on common interests and properly handling differences.

Xi will attend the 9th G20 Summit, in Brisbane, Australia, said Zhang Jun, director-general of the Department of International Economic Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Zhang said China appreciates Australia's role as the host state for G20 this year and both sides have kept close communication and cooperation over the past year. China supports Australia to hold a successful and fruitful summit.