MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrives in Australia On Saturday, the pandas were tasked with repairing diplomatic relations. lobster China’s global dominance in critical minerals is high on the agenda.
The visit 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.
Relations between the two countries deteriorated during Australia’s previous conservative government’s nearly decade in power, and in 2020 Beijing imposed a series of formal and informal trade barriers against Australian goods, costing exporters billions of dollars.
This is the second stop on Li’s tour. After New Zealandending in Malaysia.
Speaking to an audience in downtown Auckland on Saturday before leaving New Zealand, the prime minister said the country was committed to creating a first-class business environment and supporting foreign companies developing in China, according to Chinese state media.
According to Xinhua, Premier Li said China and New Zealand have great potential for cooperation in areas such as green development, and Beijing welcomes New Zealand companies, such as dairy company Fonterra, to seize such opportunities.
During his Australian visit, which ends on Tuesday, Xi, China’s most powerful leader after Chinese President Xi Jinping, is expected to visit Adelaide Zoo in the South Australian capital, arriving on an Air China flight from Auckland.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas welcomed Mr Lee on the tarmac at Adelaide Airport.
Prime Minister Li is also scheduled to visit a China-controlled lithium processing plant at the Kwinana Beach Industrial Park in Western Australia and the Australian Parliament House in the capital, Canberra.
China Resetting the relationship after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s centre-left Labor party wins the 2022 election.
Relations with the previous government fell apart over laws banning covert foreign interference in Australian politics. Banning Chinese telecom giant Huawei These include Australia banning the rollout of a nationwide 5G network over security concerns, and Australia calling for an independent investigation into the causes and response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020, China implemented formal and informal trade blocks on a wide range of Australian exports, including coal, wine, barley and timber, worth A$20 billion ($13 billion) a year.
All of The trade embargo was lifted However, exports of live Australian lobsters are excluded. Trade Minister Don Farrell He predicted the problem would be resolved soon. After Premier Li Keqiang met with Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao.
“We’re confident that this week’s visit will have a very positive outcome for lobster producers,” Farrell told reporters Wednesday.
Many observers expect Australia to be more cautious about its future economic relationship with China after being subjected to what many see as economic pressure in recent years.
Benjamin Herscovici, a China expert at the Australian National University, said a “new expectations gap” was emerging between Beijing and Canberra.
“Beijing believes that now that the coercion campaign is over, it wants to take a new step and embark on a broader, more positive and more cooperative bilateral relationship,” Herskovich said.
“The Australian government is saying, ‘Hold on, we want to lift the trade restrictions and restore high-level diplomatic relations, but from Australia’s perspective we’re not interested in deepening science and technology cooperation with China because we see this as a potential security threat,'” Herskovich added.
Li is reportedly due to visit Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia’s processing plant south of the Western Australian capital Perth on Tuesday to highlight China’s interest in investing in critical minerals. The plant produces battery-grade lithium hydroxide for electric vehicles.
Australia shares US concerns about China’s dominance in critical mineral resources. A vital part of the world’s transition to renewable energy sources.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers recently ordered five Chinese companies to sell their shares in rare earths miner Northern Minerals, citing Australia’s national interest.
Less controversially, PM Lee is due to visit the Adelaide Zoo on Sunday, which has been home since 2009 to the China-born giant pandas Wang Wang and Fu Ni.
The Adelaide Advertiser reported that Prime Minister Li is expected to announce that the pandas will be replaced with another breeding pair after they return to China in November.
While economic ties between the two countries have recovered from historic lows in recent years, security ties between the two free trading partners appear to be more strained.
An annual poll released in June by the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based foreign policy think tank, found that 53% of Australian respondents see China as a security threat rather than an economic partner.
Mr Albanese said he would discuss the matter with Mr Li at their annual leaders’ summit on Monday. Recent conflicts Tensions have been rising between the two countries’ militaries in the South China Sea and Yellow Sea, which Australia claims has put Australian personnel at risk.
The prime minister was on a three-day visit to New Zealand, a free trade partner with which China enjoys a better relationship than Australia. He described China and New Zealand as “good friends.”
His next stop is Malaysia, where relations between the two countries have been further complicated by clashing territorial claims in the South China Sea.
“China is one of New Zealand’s most important and crucial relationships,” New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told Li on Saturday.
During his visit, Prime Minister Lee expressed concern about New Zealand’s consideration of joining a military technology sharing agreement. Australia’s AUKUS Agreement The agreement was signed between the United States and the United Kingdom. The main purpose of the agreement is to provide Australia with a fleet of submarines equipped with American nuclear technology.
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Graham McCrae contributed from Wellington, New Zealand.
