During his four-day visit, Premier Li Qiang will visit the capital Adelaide, Canberra and the mining state of Western Australia.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang is leaving on a four-day visit to major trading partner Australia, saying relations with the country are “back on track”.
His visit, which begins on Saturday, is the first by a Chinese premier in seven years and is expected to pave the way for President Xi Jinping’s first visit to Australia since 2014.
Speaking at Adelaide Airport, Li said Australia was “uniquely positioned to connect the West and the East” and was a “key force for economic globalisation and world multipolarity”, according to a Chinese embassy statement.
Prime Minister Li said relations between the two countries were “back on track after many twists and turns.”
They were greeted on the runway at Adelaide Airport by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas.
Australia is China’s largest supplier of iron ore and China has invested in Australian mining projects, but some recent Chinese investments in critical minerals have been blocked by Australia, citing national interests.
China imposed numerous trade restrictions on Australian agricultural and mineral products in 2020, but the diplomatic dispute has largely deescalated since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government came to power in 2022 and adopted a softer diplomatic approach toward Beijing.
During his four-day visit, Prime Minister Li is also due to visit a China-run lithium processing plant at the Kwinana Beach Industrial Park in Western Australia and the Australian Parliament House in the capital, Canberra.
The prime minister is also due to visit two pandas on loan from China to the Adelaide Zoo on Sunday. A lunch with wine exporters who were until recently barred from the Chinese market will mark an opening for trade ties after a dispute that halted A$20 billion ($13 billion) worth of Australian agricultural and mineral exports until last year.
Premier Li said “mutual respect, setting aside differences to seek common ground, and mutually beneficial cooperation” were key to the development of China-Australia relations.
“A more mature, stable and fruitful comprehensive strategic partnership will be a shared treasure of the two peoples,” Li said.
Li arrived in Australia from New Zealand, becoming the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit the two countries since 2017.
China is Australia and New Zealand’s largest trading partner, and the two countries are trying to balance trade with regional security concerns about China’s ambitions in the Pacific islands.
In New Zealand, Li highlighted China’s demand for the country’s agricultural products and on Saturday signed agreements on trade and climate change before visiting major dairy exporter Fonterra. Human rights and foreign interference were also on the agenda.
Speaking to an audience in downtown Auckland before his departure, Premier Li told reporters that China was committed to creating a first-class business environment and helping foreign companies develop in China, according to Chinese state media.
Li also said there was great potential for China and New Zealand to cooperate in areas such as green development, and Beijing welcomed New Zealand companies, such as dairy company Fonterra, to seize such opportunities, according to Xinhua.
PM Lee, who finished his visit to Australia on Tuesday, is due to visit Malaysia.
