(Bloomberg) -- Improved relations between China and Australia must be maintained with “great care” after a decade of “twists and turns,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said before meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the sidelines of the G-20.
Xi praised the turnaround in ties, saying his nation was ready to import more “high-quality” products from Australia while encouraging greater Chinese business investment.
“Over the past decade, we have made some progress in China-Australia relations and also witnessed some twists and turns. That trajectory has many inspirations to offer,” Xi said, according to a readout of the discussion from the Australian government. “This is the result of our collective hard work in the same direction, and should be maintained with great care.”
The bilateral talks at the Group of 20 in Brazil on Monday were the first meeting between the two leaders since the effective end of China’s punitive trade campaign against Australia, following the lifting of tariffs on wine and barley and with restrictions on lobster sales expected to finish by the end of 2024.
Speaking after the meeting with Xi, Albanese said green energy and climate action would be a particular focus for future cooperation between Australia and China. US President-elect Donald Trump was not mentioned during the talks, he added.
Relations between China and Australia have rapidly improved since the election of Albanese’s center-left Labor government in May 2022, including negotiations which saw the trade restrictions steadily lift over the past two years.
Still, points of tension remain between the two countries, including China’s policies toward the South China Sea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Australia has also voiced concern over the treatment of Australian writer Yang Hengjun, who was given a suspended death sentence by a Chinese court in February in a blow to the thaw in ties.
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