Australia: The Australian Prime Minister, Mr. Anthony Albanese, will meet the Chinese President, Mr. Xi Jinping, and Premier, Mr. Li Qiang, during a visit to the country.
After his arrival on November 4, 2023, Mr. Albanese will become the first Australian leader to visit the country since 2016. The visit comes as Mr. Xi officially invited Mr. Albanese to China. Analysis says this is evidence that the relationship between the two nations is steadily improving.
Mr. Malcolm Turnbull was the last Australian prime minister to visit China in 2016. The relationship between the two countries didn’t go well in the following years.
The Turnbull government’s decision to bar Chinese telco Huawei from any role in the development of the nation’s 5G mobile network on national security grounds made China concerned.
Beijing was furious and even warned relations could be damaged ‘beyond repair’ on Mr. Scott Morrison’s, who was the Australian PM from 2018–2022, call for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19 in 2020.
“The visit in itself is a very positive thing. It’s a result of the patient, calibrated and deliberate approach that we have to the relationship with China. And the fact that it’s the first visit in seven years to our major trading partner is a very positive step,” Mr. Albanese stated.
The Australian Prime Minister will reportedly hold discussions regarding the trade tariffs on Australian wine.
The ongoing detention of Australian writer Mr. Yang Hengjun will also be included in discussions. The writer’s family pleaded with the prime minister to use the visit to China to secure his release from jail, as per the statement.
“I’ll be speaking about his human rights, the nature of his detention, and the failure to have transparent processes,” Mr. Albanese remarked.
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