BEIJING, Nov. 16, -- Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to pay a state visit to Australia after the two-day Group of Twenty (G20) Summit in the country's city of Brisbane at the invitation of Australian Governor-General Peter Cosgrove and Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

The following is a chronology of major events in Sino-Australian relations:

On Dec. 21, 1972, China and Australia forged diplomatic ties. Ever since, the bilateral relations have developed steadily with frequent high-level exchanges and cooperation in various fields.

In April 1985, Hu Yaobang, then secretary general of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), paid a visit to Australia.

In May 1986, then Australian Prime Minister Robert Hawke visited China.

In November 1988, then Chinese Premier Li Peng visited Australia and held talks with then Australian Governor-General Ninian Stephen and then Prime Minister Hawke.

In June 1993, then Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating visited China and held talks with senior Chinese officials.

In March 1997, then Australian Prime Minister John Howard visited China and held talks with Chinese officials on promoting bilateral cooperation.

In September 1999, then Chinese President Jiang Zemin visited Australia, the first visit to Australia by a Chinese head of state. The two countries vowed to expand cooperation and make joint efforts for a long-term, stable and all-around cooperation geared to the 21st century.

In October 2003, then Chinese President Hu Jintao paid a state visit to Australia. The two countries pledged to promote all-around cooperation and signed several cooperation documents.

In April 2006, then Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao paid an official visit to Australia. The two countries reached consensus on building a relationship of all-round cooperation for mutual benefit and win-win outcomes in the 21st century.

In September 2007, then Chinese President Hu Jintao again paid a state visit to Australia. The two countries agreed to strengthen dialogue and push forward the all-round development of bilateral ties.

In April 2008, then Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd paid his first official visit to China. Both countries pledged to bolster bilateral relations and further cooperation in various fields.

In April 2011, then Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard paid a four-day visit to China. The two sides concluded five cooperative agreements on trade, tourism and investment with an eye to advance constructive cooperation.

Two years later, Gillard paid another visit to China before attending the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2013, held in south China's island province of Hainan. The two countries inked a package of deals that were expected to further boost the already strong China-Australia relations.

In November 2014, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held talks with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to jointly strive for new progress in trade and investment cooperation, ahead of the 22nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting in Beijing.