On April 9, 2008, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei met with Australian Minister for Climate Change and Water Penny Wong, exchanging views on the climate change issue.

Wu welcomed Penny Wong to accompany Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on his visit to China, saying that China attaches importance to the issuing of a joint statement on climate change during Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's China visit as proposed by the Australian side. Both sides have reached agreement on the text of the statement, which shows the deepening cooperation between China and Australia on climate change cooperation and will become an important outcome of Prime Minister Rudd's China visit. Wu expressed hope that the joint statement will become a new basis for bilateral cooperation, adding that China is ready to conduct pragmatic cooperation with Australia on clean energy, low-carbon technology and clean development mechanism. Penny Wong thanked Vice Foreign Minister Wu for finding time to meet her and expressed appreciation for the efforts made by the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the process of consultations on the joint statement, emphasizing that Australia attaches importance to enhancing cooperation with China in tackling climate change.