Chinese premier meets Australian, Singaporean PMs on ties

BALI, Indonesia, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- China will work together with Australia and Singapore to jointly push forward bilateral ties, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said here Saturday.

Wen made the remarks when meeting with his Australian counterpart, Julia Gillard, and separately with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on the sidelines of East Asian summits on this Indonesian resort island.

During his meeting with Gillard, the Chinese premier said China-Australia relations had maintained sound momentum and both sides, facing the complex international and regional situation, should intensify strategic communication and improve mutual political trust, so as to boost the healthy, steady development of bilateral relations.

The two countries should agree on bilateral free trade arrangements as soon as possible in the light of mutual benefit, mutual understanding and mutual accommodation, he said.

Both sides should intensify cooperation in the fields of monetary finacing, energy and husbandry, and expand cooperation in the areas of energy-saving, environmental protection, new energy, clean energy, renewable energy and services, Wen said.

He said China and Australia should take their Culture Years, being held in each other's country last year and this year, as an opportunity to enlarge people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, so as to improve mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.