On the afternoon of April 14, 2016, Premier Li Keqiang, together with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of Australia who was on an official visit to China, held the 4th China-Australia Annual Prime Ministerial Meeting at the Great Hall of the People.

Li Keqiang expressed that both located in the Asia-Pacific region, China and Australia are important cooperative partners to each other, and the bilateral relations have achieved leapfrog development since the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and Australia 44 years ago. Especially since last year, the two countries have successfully signed and implemented the China-Australia free trade agreement (FTA), injecting new and strong impetus into the cooperation between the two countries. China remains confident in the prospect of China-Australia relations and stands ready to, together with Australia, follow the principles of mutual respect, equality as well as mutual benefit, implement well various consensus, enhance strategic mutual trust, align development strategies, expand fields for cooperation, and properly resolve divergences, so as to promote China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership towards continuous and stable progress and send out a positive signal to the world.

Li Keqiang pointed out that at present, the world economy undergoes sluggish growth and faces increasing uncertain factors, and China's economy is in deep structural adjustment. When maintaining a steady economic growth, China is also striving to advance structural reform, especially the supply-side structural reform, deepen the implementation of innovation-driven development strategy, and promote mass entrepreneurship and innovation, which highly matches Australia's "National Innovation and Science Agenda" and other development strategies. The two sides can take this as an opportunity to strengthen the docking of strategies and innovation guidance, give further play to the role of China-Australia Joint Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation, implement well the project of the joint research center under the framework of China-Australia Science and Research Fund, and promote joint research and development in food, agriculture, mining, oceanic science and other fields. China welcomes Australia to set up an overseas innovation base in Shanghai and supports both sides to jointly establish innovation parks and technology transfer centers, so as to promote cooperation between industries, universities and research institutes.

Li Keqiang emphasized that China is willing to, together with Australia, give further play to complementary advantages and conduct production capacity cooperation in the fields of infrastructure construction and equipment manufacturing so as to better achieve mutual benefit and win-win results. The two sides should also attach great importance to exploring practical cooperation in new energy, new-type urbanization, environmental protection, cross-border e-commerce and other emerging fields. Both sides should enhance friendly exchanges in overseas studies, tourism and friendly cooperation between local governments, deepen cooperation in judicature, law-enforcement and defense, and maintain close communication and coordination within international and regional multilateral mechanisms, jointly promote peace, stability and common development of the region and the world.

Malcolm Turnbull expressed that he is very happy to be the first Australian prime minister to visit China after the two countries signed and implemented the FTA. Australia considers China as an important trading partner, and is optimistic of the huge potential of China's economic development. Australia stands ready to actively adjust itself to and make use of the important cooperation opportunities brought by China's economic structural adjustment, enhance guidance in innovation cooperation with China, in particular strengthen cooperation in e-commerce, agriculture, animal husbandry, technology and other fields, and improve the level of bilateral practical cooperation, so as to jointly promote peace, stability and economic growth of the region and the world at large.

Both sides also exchanged in-depth views on international and regional issues of common concern.

Before the talks, Li Keqiang held a ceremony at the square outside the East Gate of the Great Hall of the People to welcome Malcolm Turnbull's visit to China. Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Ma Peihua and others attended the ceremony.

After the talks, Li Keqiang and Malcolm Turnbull jointly witnessed the signing of several documents on bilateral cooperation in scientific and technological innovation, tourism, industrial parks, mining and other fields.