Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met yesterday to reopen dialogue on a free trade agreement between the two countries. Trade Minister Simon Crean will follow up with discussion in Beijing next week.
During the talk, Rudd raised his concerns about human rights issues in Tibet. Crean said this showed that Australia could talk Tibet without affecting their trade relationship. "We can proceed down the path of unfreezing what was stalled negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement."
Crean mentioned that New Zealand’s agreement with China was a breakthrough but that he hoped to negotiate a broader agreement.
"The New Zealand free trade agreement showed that we could get openings in agriculture, but for Australia's Free Trade Agreement with China we've got to build on those opportunities but to also extend them into services," he said.
For two-way trade, China is Australia's largest partner worth $50 billion in the last financial year. Japan remains the biggest buyer of Australian exports.
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