Chinese premier Li Keqiang's visit to Canberra was billed as talks on economic ties, but it was always going to involve the South China Sea issue as well.
Emerging from talks with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and asked about militarisation in the South China Sea, Mr Li said China is only interested in maintaining freedom of movement.
"With respect to the so-called militarisation, China never has any intention to engage in militarisation in the South China Sea," he says.
"China's facilities, Chinese islands and reefs, are primarily for civilian purposes, and, even if there is a certain amount of defence equipment or facilities, it is for maintaining the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, because, without such freedom, or without stability in the South China Sea, the Chinese side would be among the first to bear the brunt of it."
Mr Turnbull says he discussed regional security issues with Mr Li and the importance of maintaining the international rules-based order.
He says that order has been vital for peace in the region.
For his part, Mr Li says China is committed to peace in the region.
He and Mr Turnbull say they discussed the threat posed by North Korea and the need for North Korea to curtail its nuclear program.
Mr Turnbull welcomed China's decision to freeze North Korean coal imports in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Mr Li says China has long maintained a consistent position on North Korea.
"About the situation on the Korean Peninsula, for example, China has a consistent position that is, 'China is committed to the denuclearisation of the Peninsula and peace, to peace and stability on the Peninsula, and to resolving issues through dialogue.' The situation there has, indeed, become quite tense, so we hope that all the parties concerned will work together to de-escalate the situation and uphold regional stability, because any instability in the region will only do harm to the parties involved."
While referring to the regional-security discussions, Mr Turnbull has focused his remarks on the positive, though, following the meeting.
He has tried to accent trade discussions.
"This visit provides the opportunity to reflect on our achievements over 45 years and map a future course for our relationship," said Mr Turnbull.
"In our meeting this morning, it was clear we have a strong set of common interests, which we will pursue for the benefit of both nations. And during this visit, as you've seen, Chinese and Australian companies have signed deals which will contribute billions to our economies and create thousands of jobs."
The two leaders announced a new trade deal to allow greater access into China for Australian chilled-meat exports.
The deal will expand access from 11 exporters to all eligible Australian exporters.
Mr Turnbull says China shares a mutual interest in free and open trade.
"We're very committed to, as you know, free trade and open markets. We recognise there is a protectionist sentiment in many parts of the world, and, as I've said before, as I said in Hangzhou at the G20, protectionism is not the ladder to get you out of the low-growth trap. In fact, it's a big shovel to dig it a lot deeper. And so, we welcome President Xi's recent statements, notably his speech at Davos, on the importance of free trade and open markets. And, of course, our two countries are manifestly great beneficiaries of that."
After Canberra, the two were set to travel to Sydney for a number of business meetings and functions.
