Albanese poised for China visit and high-stakes meeting with Xi
Two officials within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said preparations were underway for an official trip to Beijing.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping twice before the end of the year, after China’s decision to rescind tariffs on Australian barley increased the likelihood of an official trip to Beijing.
Two officials within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who were not authorised to speak publicly, said they had begun preparing for a meeting between Albanese and Xi on the sidelines of the G20 in New Delhi next month, followed by a trip to Beijing later in the year. They emphasised nothing had been locked in, but that officials were now working on the expectation that Albanese would accept an invitation from Xi to visit China.
Any visit would be steeped in symbolism, marking the 50th anniversary of Labor giant Gough Whitlam's 1973 visit to China, the first by an Australian prime minister. It will come against the backdrop of growing global unease about deteriorating economic conditions in China, the world's second-largest economy and Australia's biggest trading partner.
The resolution of the barley dispute earlier this month was the latest sign of a tentative thaw in Australia's ties with China and paves the way for Albanese to be the first prime minister to visit the country since Malcolm Turnbull in 2016.
