Albanese raises Ukraine and detained Australian citizen with Xi
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More news: Anthony Albanese raised the war in Ukraine and the plight of detained Australian writer Yang Hengjun in his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Xi also invited the Australian Prime Minister to visit China next year for the next annual leaders meeting, a spokesperson for Albanese said.
What they said: In their third official bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brazil, Xi and Albanese hailed the "stabilising relations between Australia and China, including through restoring trade and increasing engagement between our ministers and officials"
The spokesperson said the two leaders "agreed on the importance of dialogue, bilaterally and across the Indo-Pacific region".
"PM Albanese set out Australia’s views on issues affecting regional and international peace, stability and prosperity," the spokesperson said.
"They discussed opportunities for practical co-operation in areas of shared interest, including on energy transition and climate change.
"The PM raised a range of bilateral points, including consular matters as well as people to people links.
President Xi invited the PM to visit China in 2025 for the next Annual Leaders Meeting."
Xi meets Albanese, says relations need to be handled with 'great care'
The news: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has met with Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brazil, where the Chinese President declared that relations between the two countries have “turned around” but need to be handled "with great care".
The context: The meeting in Rio de Janeiro on Monday morning local time came on the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
Relations between Australia and China have stabilised since Albanese took over the prime ministership in 2022, following a rapid deterioration under the Morrison government, in which Beijing imposed more than $20 billion of trade sanctions in response to a number of national security decisions out of Canberra.
In their opening remarks at their third official bilateral meeting, Albanese and Xi did not mention the election of Donald Trump or his promise to enact tariffs of up to 60% on imports from China and 20% on other countries. But the prospect of the tariffs was expected to feature in the closed-door part of the meeting.
Xi had 11 officials with him for the meeting, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi, compared to Albanese's entourage of four.
Outside of the hotel where the two leaders met, there was a small crowd of supporters waving Chinese and Brazilian flags, and there were banners across the road reading a message which roughly translates as: "The diaspora welcomes Xi to Rio".
What they said: Xi said their discussions had been “very productive over the past year and more” and the two countries had “maintained close communications at all levels.”
“Ten years ago today, I was on a state visit in Australia. And on this very day, during which our two sides agreed to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership.
“And 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. Now, our relations have realised a turnaround and continues to grow, bringing tangible benefits to our two peoples.
“So, this is the result of our collective hard work in the same direction, and should be maintained with great care.
“I wish to work with you, Mr Prime Minister, to make our comprehensive strategic partnership more mature, stable and fruitful and eject more stability and certainty to the region and the wider world.”
Albanese thanked Xi for his “tremendous hospitality" during his visit to Beijing last year where the two countries “recommenced our leaders meetings”.
“It is a pleasure to meet you here today for what is our third formal meeting, but particularly auspicious to be on the 10th anniversary of the comprehensive strategic partnership between our two great nations,” Albanese said.
“We've resumed a range of dialogues. And the tempo of bilateral visits is increasing. Trade is flowing more freely to the benefit of both countries and to people and businesses on both sides.
“We continue to explore opportunities for practical co-operation in areas of shared interest, including on our energy transition and climate change.
“Our whole region will benefit from the prosperity that can flow from peace, security and stability in our region. That is why our direct discussions to build deeper understanding on the issues that matter to us are so important.
“We live in the fastest growing region of the world in human history. And the rise of China has contributed to this while lifting the living standards of hundreds of millions of people through increased economic activity. And I look forward to another productive discussion today.”
The source: G20 Summit, Capital Brief
