Premier Wen Jiabao and visiting Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel witnessed the signing of five agreements following an hour-long meeting in Beijing on Wednesday.

The agreements include bilateral cooperation in animal quarantine and animal health, reciprocal exemption from taxation on revenues arising from international air transport and promotion of mutual investment.

The Hainan Airline Group also signed an MOU with the Salzburg Economic Chamber on tourism education and research, while the government of Binjiang District in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, signed an investment MOU with the Porsche Holding Company.

Wen suggested maintaining high-level contacts, encouraging Austrian companies to invest in China and increasing culture, education, science and technology exchanges.

The premier also expressed appreciation for Austria's "positive attitude" on the lifting of the EU's arms embargo on China.

The two leaders also talked about the Taiwan issue and Austrian support for China's reunification efforts.

Schuessel said the Austrian government's adherence to the one-China policy remains unchanged.

He also met Vice- President Zeng Qinghong on Wednesday and visited Peking University, where he delivered a speech on the role of Austria in Europe and relations between Austria and China.

From Beijing, Schuessel will head to south China's island province Hainan for the annual meeting of the Boao Forum for Asia and visit Shanghai and east China's Jiangsu Province.

Schuessel arrived in Beijing on Tuesday night for a seven-day official visit to China.

China and Austria established diplomatic ties in 1971. Bilateral trade rose to more than 3 billion euros (US$3.9 billion) in 2004.

(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily April 21, 2005)