JAKARTA, Sept. 7 -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang said here Thursday China is ready to work with Australia to restart and resume bilateral exchanges in various fields.

He made the remarks when meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the sidelines of the leaders' meetings on East Asia cooperation held in Jakarta, namely the 26th China-ASEAN Summit, the 26th ASEAN Plus Three Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit. It was also their first meeting.

China-Australia relations, he noted, have maintained a positive momentum of improvement thanks to the concerted efforts of both sides over the past year.

Li also said that a sound and stable China-Australia relationship serves the fundamental interests and common aspirations of the two peoples.