AS China’s economic boom continues, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was in Australia this week to sign landmark agreements with Prime Minister John Howard on safeguards that may lead to multimillion-dollar uranium exports to China from 2008. Mr Wren said it was the responsibility of the two governments to “put in place a fair, open and reasonable market order as well as to come up with a pricing mechanism that is in accordance with international practices”. The uranium deal looks set to make Australia the world’s biggest uranium exporter in years to come. From 2008, China intends to buy up to 20,000 tonnes a year from Australia, more than doubling Australia’s current output. Premier Wen played down the agreement, saying China and Australia were in the International Atomic Agency and must observe non-proliferation.