(Bloomberg) — Prime Minister will be the first Australian leader to meet with President in China in more than seven years on Monday, sealing a rapid recovery in diplomatic relations between the nations.
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Albanese flew to Beijing on Sunday after starting his historic visit in Shanghai, where he attended the China International Import Expo and delivered a speech in which he praised the “mature relationship” between the two countries.
In Beijing on Monday, Albanese said that he was looking forward to his meetings and was convinced that the two countries could build a constructive relationship.
“We need to co-operate with China where we can, disagree where we must and engage in our national interest,” he said. “I am convinced that we are building a relationship that’s constructive, one where we are able to talk with each other directly,” Albanese said of his interactions with Xi.
A day earlier in Shanghai, Albanese pledged to keep working with China. “It is in all of our interests to have a relationship where there is dialog,” he told an audience which included Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
The import expo has special significance for Albanese, as Australia is still waiting for trade restrictions to be lifted on a number of agricultural products, including wine, beef and rock lobsters. Beijing imposed punitive trade actions at a low point in relations in 2020, after then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an investigation into the origins of Covid-19, infuriating the Communist Party leadership.
Albanese told reporters on Sunday that he wanted to see all the remaining curbs removed, to allow trade to flow normally again. “We want to see China be able to benefit from receiving that and we want to see Australian businesses benefit as well,” he said.
Prior to traveling to China, Albanese visited Washington, where President Joe Biden warned the Australian leader to “trust, but verify” anything Beijing told him during the trip.
Monday’s talks will be the second meeting between Albanese and Xi, after they sat down on the sidelines of the Group of 20 meetings in Indonesia in November 2022. The Australian leader is in China until Nov 7, after which he will fly to the Cook Islands for the Pacific Islands Forum.
Relations between Australia and China have improved since the election of Albanese’s center-left Labor government in May 2022. High-level ministerial meetings restarted and restrictions on imports of Australian coal, timber and barley have been lifted.
In the run-up to the prime minister’s visit, China released Australian journalist Cheng Lei who had been detained for more than three years. However another Australian, writer Yang Hengjun, is still in detention after being taken into custody in 2019. His family has asked Albanese to fight for his release amid concerns around his health.
–With assistance from Michael Heath and James Mayger.
(Updates with comments from PM Albanese from third paragraph.)
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