The Sino-Australian cooperation in natural resources and a dialogue with students dominated the agenda of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's second-day trip in Australia.

In Perth, Wen attended a briefing on Australian natural resources, visited an iron making facility, toured a hydrocarbon research center, exchanged views with Chinese and Australian college students and met with State of West Australia Premier Alan Carpenter.

The event-packed day ended in Canberra, where his Australian counterpart John Howard hosted a red-carpet, 19-gun salute welcome ceremony.

Wen and Howard are expected to hold official talks, the culmination of his Australian tour, during which the Chinese and Australian governments and enterprises will ink a number of cooperative documents, likely including an agreement on the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

In his conclusion speech made in the briefing chaired by Australian Industry, Tourism and Resources Minister Ian Macfarland,Wen said Australia boasts abundant natural resources while China remains as a stable and growing market.

"The bilateral cooperation in mineral resources is carried outin line with equality and mutual benefit and the establishment of a long-term, stable and healthy cooperative ties in the regard serves interests of both," he said.

Resources trading accounts for 60 percent of Sino-Australian dual-track trade, which hit 27.3 billion US dollars in 2005. For iron ore alone, China imported 112 million tons worth 6 billion dollars in 2005. The two countries also carry out cooperation in coal, copper and nickel.

He urged the two sides to seize the opportunities and extend the cooperation from current commodity trading to upstream exploration and cooperation in new, renewable and clean energies and production safety.

In HIsmelt Kwinana Joint Venture Iron Making Facility, Wen climbed atop a tower to watch the melting of the iron ore and asked detailed questions on the new technology which had low environmental impact.

China has engaged in building up a resource-efficient and environment-friendly society, he told his Australian host, adding that there is room for the two sides to enhance cooperation in the regard.

The cheerful moment came when he lighted up the "burning ice,"or the solidified natural gas, and chatted with young college students from China and Australia during his visit to Curtin University of Technology.

Despite differences in social systems, histories and cultural backgrounds, Chinese and Australian peoples both cherish peace and love life, he said. Thanks to the diversity, tolerance and openness of the two cultures, the two countries can learn from each other and coexist harmoniously.

"We talk about iron ore and natural gas the whole morning. Economic cooperation is important because it brings benefits to the two peoples. In the long run, the contacts among the young people and the exchanges in education area are more important," he told the audience, inviting 100 Australian college students to visit China for each of the upcoming two years.

China now has about 80,000 students studying in Australia.