Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will become the first local PM to visit China in seven years as relations between the countries continue to thaw.
Albanese will travel to Beijing before Christmas to discuss easing remaining trade sanctions and the release of two detained dual citizens.
The move comes after the PM met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Jakarta in Thursday – the first meeting of its kind in three years.
Albanese is hoping to mend unresolved issues.
“The co-operation and engagement between our two countries is always improved when there is dialogue, when there’s discussion,” the PM said.
“That’s how you get mutual agreement, mutual respect, and advance the interests of both nations. And I thank President Xi for the invitation.”
Premier Li and Anthony Albanese discuss investment, human rights, and trade in pivotal meeting
In a meeting lasting just under an hour, Premier Li urged Anthony Albanese for increased Australian investment access. The dialogue covered contentious issues, including Huawei's ban and human rights concerns related to Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Taiwan.
Albanese stated that Australia would always act in its national interest
Premier Li provided assurance regarding China's economic outlook, highlighting plans to double the middle-class population to 800 million by 2035.
"Premier Li was positive about China's economic outlook," Albanese said, adding that "the progress we've made in resuming unimpeded trade is good for both countries."
The discussion took place on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Jakarta and marked a significant step in stabilising bilateral relations. Premier Li pointed out the mutual suffering caused by a strained relationship and urged for lifting trade bans on Australian exports.
As relations improve, China has begun to ease its A$20.6 billion trade sanctions imposed on Australian exports. About A$2.5 billion in curbs still remain, affecting products such as lobster, red meat, wine, and hay.
“It’s in Australian wine producers’ interest to export wine, but it’s also in China’s interest to receive it,” Mr Albanese said.
Shadow foreign affairs minister Simon Birmingham welcomed the diplomatic advancement but emphasised the need for tangible results.
“In deciding to travel to China while the Chinese government continues to apply coercive trade sanctions against Australia and unfairly detain Australian citizens, Prime Minister Albanese must believe that significant advances in fixing these concerns will be made as a consequence of his visit,” Senator Birmingham said.
"This will be overwhelmingly a working visit, which will be judged by its results," Birmingham said.
The meeting coincides with the resumption of the China-Australia High-Level Dialogue on September 7, heralded by Beijing’s Global Times as a landmark in restoring the relationship with the West.
"From this vantage point, China-Australia ties have far-reaching ramifications beyond bilateral relations," the publication opined.
Albanese is scheduled to fly to the Philippines, marking the first bilateral visit by an Australian prime minister in 20 years, aimed at escalating relations with a country directly affected by China's South China Sea incursions.
Australia views the Philippines as an important ally among ASEAN nations against China’s encroachment.
The last Australian prime minister to visit China was Malcolm Turnbull in 2016.