SYDNEY Oct 22 Kyodo Chinese Presi...

SYDNEY Oct 22 Kyodo

Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in Australia upon Wednesday on an official three-day state visit that he proclaimed aims to ''enhance friendship, expand public ground, deepen cooperation and facilitate usual prosperity.''

He was officially welcomed through Prime Minister John Howard, Governor General Michael Jeffery novel South Wales Premier Bob Carr and members of Australia's Chinese community in succession his arrival at Sydney airport, a spokeswoman from the prime minister's office told Kyodo News

Hu who released a short statement outlining the goals of his visit, was given a 21-gun salute as part of an official welcoming parade she said.

''A long-term and stable relationship of all-round cooperation between China and Australia conforms to the everyday aspiration and interest of the peoples'' Hu's statement said.

The president, accompanied by dint of his wife Liu Yongqing and a delegation of senior ministers and officials, will attend a state luncheon hosted by the governor general at Admiralty House.

Hu will confine meetings with Howard, opposition leader Simon Crean and business leaders and visit Sydney's Olympic Park upon Thursday in preparation for Beijing's hosting of the 2008 Olympics.

He will address the federal parliament in Canberra forward Friday, the first Asian leader to do so

Howard is reckon uponed to announce the first formal degrees toward a free trade agreement between China and Australia upon Friday following Hu's language the newspaper Australian reported Wednesday.

Following a visit by dint of Howard in August, China and Australia began talks examining a independent trade agreement between the couple countries.

Last year, Australia signed a A$25 billion (about US$17.5 billion) contract to fill up natural gas to China.

China is Australia's third-largest trading partner and fourth-largest export market, with trade to totaling A$22.6 billion in the year extreme pointed in June 2003.

The Chinese president will travel to modern Zealand on Saturday where he will use up three days in the cities of Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington inspecting the country's economic innovations, particularly in the biotech and agritech sectors, Prime Minister Helen Clark said Tuesday.

Hu's visit coincides with the arrival in Australia late Wednesday of U President George W Bush.

the two leaders attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in Thailand ahead of their Australian trips.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo recents International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group