China wants to work with Australia to promote development of bilateral relations, says Xi

BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping has exchanged congratulatory messages with his Australian counterpart to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations as both their foreign ministers met in Beijing, in the latest sign of warming ties between the two major trade partners.

State broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Wednesday that Mr Xi had sent messages to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Governor-General David Hurley.

“I attach great importance to the development of China-Australia relations and am willing to work with the Australian side,” Mr Xi said in a report from CCTV.

Mr Xi said China is willing to work with Australia to promote sustainable development of bilateral relations and that a stable and healthy diplomatic relationship is in the interest of both nations.

In a Twitter post on Wednesday, Mr Albanese said Australia wants to have a stable relationship with China. “We will cooperate where we can, disagree where we must and engage in the national interest,” he said.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong met her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at the Diaoyutai state guesthouse in Beijing on Wednesday, images released by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade showed.

Speaking after the meeting, Ms Wong said she had raised with Mr Wang the cases of two Australians held in China on spying charges, Cheng Lei and Yang Hengjun. “We raise that in every single engagement that we are able to,” she said.

The meeting ran for more than one and a half hours, which Ms Wong said gave the two sides an opportunity to discuss issues in “greater depth”. 

“The government’s made it clear that we believe it’s in Australia’s interest for our relationship with China to be stabilised,” she said.

A joint outcomes statement released by Australia said the two sides agreed to “commence or restart dialogue” on trade and economic issues, climate change, defence and regional and international issues.

The two nations used to hold annual meetings between Australia’s prime minister and China’s premier under a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, before a diplomatic dispute in 2020 halted even phone calls between ministers.

Mr Wang told his Australian counterpart that China and Australia had no fundamental conflicts of interest and they should use the 50th anniversary of ties to reorganise and restart relations, China’s foreign ministry said.

“China and Australia have no historical grievances and no fundamental conflicts of interest, and should and can become partners in mutual need,” Mr Wang told Ms Wong during their meeting, his ministry said in a statement.

The election of the centre-left Labor government in Australia in May set in motion a diplomatic reset with China, repairing ties which had grown strained under the previous prime minister, Mr Scott Morrison.

In April 2020, calls by Mr Morrison for an international investigation into the origins of Covid-19 angered the Chinese government.

Beijing later placed trade sanctions on Australian exports, including wine, barley and meat.

Since Mr Morrison’s electoral loss, both sides have held several senior ministerial meetings, including talks between Mr Albanese and Mr Xi on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in November.
BLOOMBERG, REUTERS