By Mark Kenny
BEIJING: Malcolm Turnbull has been received in the capital of the world's dominant communist power with military honours in a colourful ceremony to mark the official start of his two-day visit to the Asian superpower.
Accompanied by wife Lucy, the Australian Prime Minister was met by his Chinese counterpart, Li Keqiang to inspect the troops on the edge of Tiananmen Square on a balmy Beijing evening, before talks in the Great Hall of the People.
At the start of the talks, media were allowed to witness the opening remarks, with Mr Turnbull expressing his delight at being the first Australian prime minister to visit Beijing since the enactment of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement - a deal sealed by Mr Turnbull's predecessor, Tony Abbott.
The talks were expected to range over a series of topics, taking in the global economic situation, the extensive trade links between Australia and China, and difficult strategic matters such as China's territorial ambitions in the South China Sea.
Malcolm Turnbull, with Premier Li Keqiang, receives a ceremonial welcome at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.Credit: Andrew Meares
On Friday, Mr Turnbull will follow up with another one-on-one meeting, this time with President Xi Jinping, making for a total of almost four hours of talks with the Chinese leadership.
Before landing in Beijing, Mr Turnbull used a key speech in the nation's financial capital, Shanghai, to encourage greater tourism between the two nations, and to call on the Communist leadership to grant greater freedoms and develop a stronger rule of law independent of political interference.