Australian prime minister announces China visit hours before leaving for US to meet Biden
economictimes.indiatimes.comAustralian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he will visit China in early November, making the announcement Sunday hours before he was to fly to the United States to meet with President Joe Biden. Albanese also said China agreed late Saturday to review the crippling tariffs it levied on Australian wine that have effectively blocked trade with the winemakers' biggest export market since 2020.
Albanese will become the first Australian prime minister to visit China in seven years when he travels to Beijing and Shanghai on Nov.
4-7.
«It's in Australia's interest to have good relations with China, and certainly though my focus in the coming days will be very much on the visit to the United States,» Albanese told reporters at Australian Parliament House.
«With Australia's closest partner, talking about the future of our alliance, the future which has been upgraded by the AUKUS arrangements, a future based upon our common values, our commitment to democracy, and our commitment to the international rule of law and stable order throughout the globe,» Albanese added, using the acronym for Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Under the trilateral pact, the U.S. and Britain will cooperate to provide Australia with a fleet of submarines powered by U.S. nuclear technology to counter a more assertive China.
Albanese said he will meet with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing and then attend the China International Import Expo in Shanghai.
The visit to China and a potential breakthrough in the wine dispute mark a further repair in relations since Albanese's center-left Labor Party won elections last year after nine years of conservative government in Australia.
China has agreed to review its
