Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese started his visit to China on Sunday by saying it was
“our common goal” to establish bilateral cooperation through dialogue and cooperation.The visit was the first by an Australian leader in seven years with Albanese saying Australia would continue to cooperate constructively with China, in a short speech at the annual China International Import Expo in Shanghai and opened by Prime Minister Li Qiang.
Albanese is the first Australian leader to visit China since 2016, as part of efforts to repair relations
that have soured in recent years due to disputes over Chinese telecoms company Huawei,
espionage and COVID-19.In his speech, Albanese described relations between the two countries as “mature” and that they
were “driven by the complementary nature of our economies”.
“Along with other economies in our region, Australia and China are prospering thanks to the
certainty and stability that rules-based trade makes possible,” Albanese said.
Albanese’s government has sought to stabilize relations with China since taking office last year.
China itself has lifted most of the trade restrictions resulting from diplomatic disputes in 2020 which
resulted in losses of 20 billion US dollars (Rp. 311.7 trillion) in the form of commodities and food
exports.
“We continue to respect the World Trade Organization (WTO), whose role as an independent and
respected arbiter benefits us all,” Albanese said without directly mentioning the dispute.
Albanese will meet on Monday with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing to discuss growing
tensions in the South China Sea.
When he arrived in China on Saturday afternoon, Albanese said Australia’s aim was to hold positive
and constructive dialogue with its main trading partners.Before leaving for China, on Saturday Albanese said the meeting with Xi and Li was expected to be a “very positive step” in stabilizing the once tense bilateral relationship.
Source : Antara
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