Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a state visit to China, in what is the first visit of an Australian head of government in seven years. Albanese is also the first AUKUS (Australia, U.K., U.S.) leader to visit China since the group signed their military pact in 2021—a pact which is all but explicitly operating to pull Australia into the Anglo-American camp of confrontation with China. Albanese also attended the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai.
Alabanese travelled with his Trade Minister Don Farrell, for what was said to be a trade-focused trip following recent tensions related to Huawei, according to South China Morning Post. During the visit, Xi said bilateral ties had now “embarked on the right path of improvement and development.” According to CCTV, some exchanges had resumed and some problems had been worked out.
Xi held an optimistic tone. “The two countries have no historical grudges or fundamental conflicts of interest,” Xi said. “China and Australia should follow the trend of the times and build a China-Australia relationship based on the common interests of the two countries, in which we treat each other as equals, seek common ground while reserving opinions over differences, and engage in mutually beneficial cooperation.”
