Chinese FM meets Australian counterpart

BEIJING -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday met with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Beijing.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the leaders of the two countries met in Bali, Indonesia, last year, charting the course for the improvement and development of bilateral relations.

"We have enhanced mutual understanding and taken a step forward to improve our relations every time we have met since then," said Wang.

He called on the two sides to focus more on the positive aspects, view each other in a rational, friendly, and inclusive way, pursue a proactive, pragmatic and objective policy, handle differences properly, expand cooperation, and ensure a sustained, healthy, and stable development of relations.

Wong said it is in Australia's interest to develop relations with China, noting that the two sides have recently made positive progress in dialogue and cooperation in trade and other fields, properly handled differences, and improved relations.