Australia PM Howard meets NPC Chairman Li Peng

Описание: (21 May 2002)

1. Exterior of the Great Hall of People
2. Chinese national flag
3. Australian prime minister John Howard arriving at the gate of the meeting hall
4. Chinese NPC (National People's Congress) Chairman Li Peng shaking hands with Howard
5. Pan of meeting
6. Li at the meeting
7. Close up of Howard
8. Australian delegation and Li
9. UPSOUND: (English) John Howard, Australian Prime Minister:
"As we look back at the period we can see a complete transformation in the relations, particularly in the places you refer to."
10. Howard and Li at the meeting

STORYLINE:

Australian prime minister John Howard arrived in China on Tuesday on a visit to mark 30 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries and to promote an Australian bid for a major liquefied natural gas contract.

Howard began his third official visit to Beijing with a trip to the Great Hall of the People, where he met with Li Peng, head of the Chinese parliament and the Number 2 leader in China's ruling Communist Party .

During his three-day tour, the Australian leader is also due to meet Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji.

Howard is expected to push for a multi-billion-dollar contract to supply China's southern province of Guangdong with three (m) million metric tonnes (3.3 million tonnes) of liquefied natural gas a year.

Australia's North West Shelf consortium is one of three groups bidding for the 20-year contract, estimated to be worth about one (b) billion Australian dollars (530 million US dollars) a year.

A succession of ministers have visited Beijing to boost Australia's chances.

Trade between the two countries grew 19 percent to more than 18 (b) billion Australian dollars (9.4 billion US dollars) in 2001.

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