Chinese President Hu Jintao (center) pays a visit to an Australian sheep farm outside the nation's capital of Canberra yesterday. During his visit to the farm of Ian Cusack, Hu joined Cusack's family for a country morning tea with scones and traditional Australian lamington cakes. - Xinhua

Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Morris Iemma, premier of New South Wales in Sydney yesterday, soon after arriving from a trip to Canberra, Australia.

In Sydney, President Hu will also attend the economic leaders' informal meeting of the Asia-Pacific economic Cooperation (APEC) forum scheduled for Sept 8-9.

During his meeting with Iemma, Hu said remarkable progress has been achieved in friendly cooperation between China and the Australian state in recent years.

China is willing to further tap potentials in bilateral cooperation and promote mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, science and technology, education, environmental protection and tourism, Hu said.

Sydney, through its successful hosting of the 2000 Olympic Games, has gained precious experience in organizing large-scale sports events, such as the Olympic Games, Hu said. "I hope your city would strengthen exchanges and cooperation with Beijing in this regard."

Also present at the meeting were Edward Whitlam, Robert Hawke and Paul Keating, all former federal prime ministers of Australia.

Hu praised their contributions to the development of Sino-Australian relations and hoped they would continue to follow and show care for bilateral exchanges and cooperation.

Before flying to Sydney, Hu visited a farm in Canberra. After arriving at the farm at Sutton, a small town in northeast Canberra, Hu was greeted by host Ian Cusack and his wife Sarah Cusackand. A whole set of shows demonstrating the daily life in a country that was built on sheep farming were performed.

The farm, with 2,800 sheep and 170 cattle, covers an area of 1,700 hectares. Australia farms about 120 million sheep and about one quarter of them are raised in arid and semi-arid inland areas.

After the show, Hu went into Ian's house and had a casual chat with the couple and their six kids.

The visit reached its climax when Tim and Ann, Ian's two kids, invited Hu to look at a blackboard, on which national flags of China and Australia as well as the emblem of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games were drawn.

Hu, who will attend the APEC economic leaders' informal meeting on Sept. 8-9, will hold official talks with Australian Prime Minister John Howard today before attending the APEC Business Summit.

APEC is the premier forum for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region. Since its birth in 1989, APEC has grown to encompass 21 members spanning four continents, representing the most economically dynamic region in the world.