Chinese premier meets Australian governor-general

BEIJING, March 30-- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with Australian Governor-General Peter Cosgrove here on Monday.

Li said the two countries' economies are highly complementary, and trading is an important impetus for the bilateral ties.

China and Australia should join hands to promote a sustained and diversified development of the bilateral trading and investment cooperation, and sign and implement free trade agreement as soon as possible, he noted.

He welcomed Australian companies and banks to increase the use of China's RMB in two-way trading and investment, and continue to push forward the development of a market-oriented RMB offshore market in Sydney.

The premier also called for expanding exchanges in education, culture, and tourism to support the development of China-Australia ties.

Cosgrove said there is great potential for China-Australia trade and investment cooperation as well as cultural exchanges.

He also voiced hope for an early signing of the free trade agreement, and a good operation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a China-proposed multilateral financial institution that Australia already decided to join in as a founding member.

Cosgrove was invited by Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state visit. He also attended the annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia held in south China's Hainan Province.