China and Australia have signed a landmark free trade agreement that follows about a decade of negotiations.
中国和澳大利亚经过大约10年的谈判,签署了一项具有里程碑意义的自由贸易协定。
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Chinese Trade Minister Gao Hucheng attended the signing ceremony Wednesday in Canberra.
星期三,澳大利亚总理阿博特和中国商务部长高虎城在堪培拉出席了签署仪式。
"It will change our countries for the better , it will change our region for the better, it will change our world for the better," said Mr. Abbott.
阿博特说:“这将使我们两国变得更好,使我们的地区变得更好,也使我们的世界变得更好。”
Trade Minister Gao praised the free trade deal, which was struck late last year, as "comprehensive, high-quality and balanced."
高虎城赞扬了这项自由贸易协定。他说,这项协定全面、优质、全面。
"It has the highest degree of liberalization amongst all the FTA's China has so far signed with another economy," he said.
他还表示,在中国迄今与其他经济体签署的自由贸易协定中,中澳自由贸易协定具有最高的自由度。
Under the pact, tariffs eventually will be lifted on 95 percent of Australian exports, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
中国官方的新华社说,按照这项协定,中国对澳大利亚95%的出口商品最终将不再征收关税。
The wide-ranging agreement will also lower restrictions on Chinese investment in Australia and make it easier for Australian banks, insurance companies and universities to do business in China.
这项内容广泛的协定还将放松对中国在澳大利亚投资的限制,并使澳大利亚银行、保险公司和大学能在中国更方便地运作。
China is Australia's biggest trading partner. Two-way trade between the two nations amounts to over $123 billion annually.
中国是澳大利亚的最大贸易伙伴,每年的双边贸易额超过1230亿美元。