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Pacific

Australia PM hails China trade ties on visit

Associated Press
Published | Updated
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    Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, center, poses for a selfie with delegates from Australia and China during an event at the Shanghai International Expo Center in Shanghai, China, Thursday, April 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) (The Associated Press)

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    Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull holds a virtual reality device as he chats with delegates after he launched the Tourism Australia at the Shanghai International Expo Center in Shanghai, China, Thursday, April 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) (The Associated Press)

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    Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull delivers a speech as he launches the Tourism Australia at the Shanghai International Expo Center in Shanghai, China, Thursday, April 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) (The Associated Press)

SHANGHAI – Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is hailing trade ties with China but skirting sensitive political issues on the first day of a visit to his country's key trade partner.

In a speech Thursday in the financial hub of Shanghai, Turnbull praised a bilateral free trade agreement signed last year as offering important new opportunities for Australian exporters.

China absorbs about one-third of Australia's exports and China's slowing demand for iron ore, coal and other resources has taken a major toll on Australia's economy. Two-way trade between them totaled 150 billion Australian dollars ($115 billion) in the last financial year, down 6.3 percent.

Turbull made no mention of close-U.S. ally Australia's concerns about Chinese activities in the South China Sea that were recently criticized in an Australian government report.