China News recently reported that, on October 17 in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Australian Governor-General Quentin Bryce. Xi suggested that more and more room for cooperation is developing in the China-Australia strategic partnership. Xi called for a breakthrough in the negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement. In addition to that, Xi also suggested active cooperation in such areas as energy resources, infrastructure development, financial services, environmental protection, and the biomedical field. At the same time, Xi indicated that he expects deeper coordination and alignment with Australia in international organizations like the United Nations, the G20, and APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation). Bryce expressed the belief that Australia is a reliable energy resource provider for China and that Australia and China share considerable mutual interests. She suggested that Australia is willing to work with China to reach an agreement in the free trade negotiations sooner rather than later.
Source: China News, October 17, 2013
http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2013/10-17/5393969.shtml