Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Monday met with Australian Labor Party leader Kim Beazley and both agreed to strengthen inter-party exchanges to promote the development of friendly cooperation between the two countries.

Beazley said in the meeting with the visiting Chinese premier that his party is firmly in favor of developing cooperative ties with China.

In 1972, the then Labor Party leader and Australian Prime Minister Edward Whitlam made the decision to establish diplomatic relation with China. "Either as ruling party or opposition party during the past years, the Labor Party has actively engaged in advancing China-Australia ties," Premier Wen said.

Labor Party led by Beazley proposed to put the growth of Sino- Australian ties in prior agenda, for which China would like to express its appreciation, he said.

The role played by China in the world is "constructive," Beazley said. The Australian Labor Party firmly supports the development of ties with China and also agrees to enhance inter- party relations with the Communist Party of China, Beazley told Wen.

In another occasion, Wen met with State of Queensland Premier Peter Beatie. China supports enterprises from the two countries to further their cooperation, which can be extended to clean energy, coal mine safety, education and tourism, he said.

The role of the government is to facilitate mutual investment and ensure open, transparent, fair and rational market order, he said.

Beatie said Queensland welcomes and supports Chinese enterprises to invest in the state and seeks to build up the mutually beneficial ties with China, now the state's second largest trading partner.

Queensland hopes to carry out cooperation with China in clean energy and biological technologies, he said.

Source: Xinhua