Australian premier meets Chinese counterpart, to visit Beijing

ANKARA

Australia and China on Thursday agreed to expand further cooperation and Canberra welcomed the ongoing progress in the bilateral relationship with Beijing.

In a statement issued following a meeting with China’s Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the meeting a " frank and constructive discussion."

"I raised a range of bilateral and other issues of importance to Australia, including remaining trade impediments, consular cases, and human rights. We discussed and shared perspectives on regional and international security issues," said Albanese, according to the statement issued from his office.

He also announced that he will visit China later this year at the invitation of President Xi Jinping.

Australia and China in recent months moved forward to ease tensions between the two countries following their relations soured after Canberra joined its Western allies in calling for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19, which first appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019.

Later, China imposed tariffs of over 200% on Australian wine imports following an anti-dumping investigation.

However, relations between the two countries apparently saw an improvement after President Xi Jinping and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s high-level meeting in Indonesia last November, followed by the respective foreign ministers in Beijing.

On Thursday, the 7th China-Australia High-Level Dialogue also started in Beijing for the first time since 2020.

"I was very pleased to meet with Premier Li today on the margins of the East Asia Summit. And I'm encouraged by the progress we've made since I met President Xi in Bali last year," the Australian prime minister said.

"Australia seeks to work towards productive and stable relations with China, based on mutual benefit and respect. And the discussion today was respectful. It was constructive and it was positive," he added.

In response, Chinese Premier Li Qiang also said that China is ready to work with Australia to restart and resume bilateral exchanges in various fields.

During his first meeting with Albanese, Li said a sound and stable China-Australia relationship serves the fundamental interest and common aspiration of the two sides, Chinese state-run Xinhua News reported.

ASEAN-Australia summit

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Albanese also attended the ASEAN-Australia summit in Jakarta, chaired by Indonesia President Joko Widodo, the current chair of the bloc.

In his opening remarks, Widodo called Australia not just a neighbor of ASEAN but a Comprehensive Strategic Partner and also a link with the Pacific region

"On the other hand, ASEAN is also an important trading partner for Australia, with a higher trade value compared to the United States and Japan," he said, according to a transcript issued by the Indonesian Foreign Ministry in the local language.

"So whatever happens in the Indo-Pacific will have a big impact on Australia and ASEAN," said the president.

He stressed that ASEAN and Australia both have a responsibility to keep the Indo-Pacific peaceful and stable and make it the epicenter of growth.

On his part, Albanese said that he looks forward to welcoming ASEAN leaders to Melbourne next March for a special summit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Australia Dialogue Relations.

"For the past 50 years, Australia has recognized the centrality of ASEAN to the prosperity and stability of our region. Ours is a story of shared growth and mutual benefit," he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, after the summit

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid