A senior Chinese official said Friday China hopes to step up energy cooperation with Australia and Kazakhstan.

Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remarks during his meetings with the representatives attending the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) 2005 annual conference, an event due to open Saturday in Boao, a coastal town of south China's Hainan Province.

While meeting with Australian Prime Minister John Howard, Jia said the relations between China and Australia have maintained good momentum and the two countries have deepened their cooperation in various fields.

Cooperation with mutual benefits in the energy sector has kept producing new results, Jia said, noting that the Chinese and Australian economies are complementary and the two countries enjoy huge cooperation potential.

Bilateral trade hit about US$20.4 billion, up 50 percent from last year, Jia said.

Howard expressed optimism on the launching of negotiations on the free trade agreement between the two countries, saying Australia will further bilateral friendship and hopes the country can become China's long-term partner in energy cooperation.

In meeting with Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Akhmetzhan Esimov, Jia said China-Kazakhstan relations have moved smoothly with the efforts of the leaders of two nations and relevant departments.

The two countries support each other in politics, expanding cooperation in various fields and carrying out coordination in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), said Jia.

Jia said bilateral trade is expected to climb to five billion dollars this year. He also expressed his appreciation of the China-Kazakhstan cooperation committee's positive role in facilitating cooperation, hoping the two countries continue to enlarge and deepen cooperation in the energy field.

Esimov spoke highly of the role of the BFA, which he described as an important venue to discuss issues on Asian regional cooperation.

Kazakhstan and China are earnestly fulfilling the important consensus reached by the two heads of the state, said Esimov.

Kazakhstan attaches importance to the cooperation between the two countries in energy and transportation, Esimov said, adding that the oil pipeline project has started and the two countries will begin a pilot study on constructing a natural gas pipeline.

Kazakhstan and China have been in close relations in such regional organizations as the SCO, said Esimov, hoping the two countries could boost coordination and cooperation in international and regional issues.

Both Howard and Esimov reiterated their adherence to the one-China policy.

More than 1,200 representatives, including the five heads of governments and many leaders of multi-national companies, will be present at the opening ceremony of non-governmental international forum on Asian development.

(Xinhua News Agency March 23, 2005)