Australia and China have signed a deal to co-operate in aid delivery in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Australian Foreign Minister, Bob Carr, says under the agreement, Australia and China will cooperate on aid initiatives, including regional health issues, such as malaria and HIV/AIDS, and on water resource management.
He says the partnership commits Australia and China to work together to more effectively target aid to poor communities across the region.
Mr Carr says the first initiative, starting this month, is a pilot investigation into drug resistant malaria in Papua New Guinea and new ways of responding to the problem.
