Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has confirmed that he will be visiting China later this year after discussions with China’s Premier, Li Qiang. This announcement comes after years of strained relations between the two countries due to political and economic issues, including Chinese sanctions on Australian imports.
During talks at a Southeast Asia summit in Indonesia, Albanese stated, “I…confirmed the invitation from President Xi. I will visit China later this year at a mutually agreeable time.” This visit will be the first by an Australian Prime Minister since 2016.
Premier Li informed Albanese that China is ready to work with Australia to resume exchanges in various areas, although specific areas were not mentioned. Li emphasized that the Asia-Pacific region is the shared home of both countries and that Beijing is committed to working together with Australia to maintain peace and stability in the region.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, expressed Beijing’s welcoming of the planned visit and acknowledged that “a healthy and stable China-Australia relationship serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples.”
Albanese expressed his gratitude to President Xi Jinping for the invitation and described his talks with Premier Li as “constructive” and “positive.” He emphasized the need for more dialogue between the two nations to improve bilateral relations. Albanese previously met Xi during the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, in November.
In addition to the Prime Minister’s visit, Australia sent a delegation comprised of industry, government, academic, media, and arts representatives to Beijing for talks with their Chinese counterparts. These exchanges were halted in 2020, and their resumption marks a significant step towards increasing bilateral engagement and stabilizing the relationship with China, as stated by the Australian Foreign Minister, Penny Wong.
While relations between Australia and China have shown signs of improvement since Albanese’s election victory, challenges still remain. Australia has expressed deep concerns about the ongoing delays in the case of an Australian academic, Yang Jun, who has been jailed in China since 2019 on espionage charges. Yang recently shared a note expressing fears of dying in prison without proper medical attention. Beijing claims to be handling the case according to the rule of law.
The upcoming visit by the Australian Prime Minister and the resumption of exchanges between Australia and China symbolize a promising step towards strengthening diplomatic ties and establishing constructive dialogue between the two nations.