Australian PM hails natural gas contract - Yahoo! News: "SHENZHEN, China - Australia's prime minister hailed his country's record liquid natural gas export contract with China as a symbol of blossoming trade between the countries during an inaugural ceremony Wednesday at the Chinese gas terminal.
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Prime Minister John Howard joined Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao for the 20-minute ceremony at the Dapeng Gas Terminal in the bustling manufacturing hub of Shenzen in southern China.
The $3.6 billion terminal was built to receive liquefied natural gas shipments from Australia � part of an $18.3 billion, 25-year gas contract finalized in late 2004. The deal is Australia's single biggest natural resource contract. Deliveries began a month ago.
'This occasion is a momentous one in the economic relationship between Australia and China,' Howard said. 'Not only is this deal the biggest ever in Australia's history, it is in every sense a symbol of what can be achieved in the future between our two countries.'
China is Australia's second largest export market, after Japan. Sales of Australian of coal, farm products, iron ore and other resources drove a 46 percent increase in exports to China last year."