On April 2, 2009, Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in London.

Hu said that in recent years the development of Sino-Australian relations has been gaining momentum in an all-around way. Both sides have maintained frequent exchanges of high-level visits and deepened mutual political trust with mutually beneficial cooperation conducted in all areas. New achievements have been made in cooperation in energy resources, environmental protection, science and technology, education and culture, Hu said, adding that both countries have also enhanced exchanges and coordination in international and regional affairs.

The Chinese president said that under the current complex and volatile international situation, it is of both realistic and strategic significance to enhance China-Australia relations. Hu put forward a four-point proposal to strengthen bilateral ties. First, enhance exchanges between their leaders to expand consensus and strategic mutual trust. Second, deepen economic and trade cooperation. The global financial crisis has taken a toll on the trade relations between the two countries. China is ready to work with Australia to overcome difficulties. Efforts should be made to promote negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement and expand mutually beneficial cooperation in fields like energy resources, environmental protection, science and technology and education. Third, make concerted efforts in the face of the global financial crisis. Fourth, broaden multilateral cooperation. Both sides can continue dialogue and consultation in international and regional issues of common concern such as regional cooperation and climate change, thus contributing to peace, stability and prosperity of the region and the world at large, Hu added.

Rudd said the Australian people are grateful of the Chinese people for their sympathy after the recent major fire. The prime minister also praised China's role at the G20 summit, saying that China's active participation in the negotiations at the G20 summit contributed a great deal to the success of the summit. The G20 mechanism is of vital importance to enhancing bilateral cooperation and stimulating the world economy, and will provide opportunities for the further cooperation between the two countries to meet the challenges, he said. Rudd said he is optimistic about the future of Australia-China ties, and Australia will work closely with China for the success of next financial summit meeting. He hoped that both sides will further enhance the exchanges between the leaders, overcome the short-term downturn of bilateral trade caused by the international financial crisis, sign the FTA at an early date and enhance coordination within the framework of G20 as well as cooperation in climate change and other fields.

President Hu noted that the G20 summit constituted an important and effective platform for the international community to combat the global financial crisis. The summit, held amid global economic downturn, yielded positive results by formulating concerted measures to tackle the international financial crisis and revive the global economy, he added. Prime Minister Brown and the UK side have done a lot for the preparation of the summit. All parties concerned should cherish and well implement the outcome of the summit that doesn't come by easily. The Chinese president reiterated China's readiness to work with other participants to materialize what they had decided at the summit.

Wang Qishan, Ling Jihua, Wang Huning and Dai Bingguo attended the meeting.