CANBERRA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The Australian and Chinese governments signed a long-awaited free trade agreement in a ceremony in Canberra on Wednesday, further opening up trade between the two countries.

The landmark signing by Australia's Trade Minister Andrew Robb and China's Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng finalized negotiations that began ten years ago and followed the Declaration of Intent signed in November by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Chinese President Xi Jinping.