Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Unfortunately, this historic meeting was not enough to keep relations between Australia and China from deteriorating. The summit opened with a private dialog among funders. Later, they all had lunch together — paired with Albanese’s wife-to-be, Jodie Haydon, was China’s First Lady, Peng Liyuan. This is a significant moment since the post-Morrison era began, with both leaders recognizing the progress made in the bilateral relationship.
At the time of their meeting, Albanese had already raised his concerns about Yang Hengjun. Yang, an Australian citizen, has been detained in China since 2019 on charges of espionage. Though Yang has consistently denied these accusations for years, his condition is said to have worsened with reportedly failing health while under confinement. Albanese highlighted the need for strong patient advocacy on this issue, adding that short-term results should not be anticipated.
Improving Relations
The Australian Prime Minister went on to emphasize the more positive course of the Australia-China relationship compared to the start of the Morrison government. Xi Jinping welcomed this development, noting that the relationship has “risen from the setback and turned around,” providing tangible benefits to both the Chinese and Australian peoples.
Throughout the discussions, and during most of the presentations, was a theme of international trade as well. Both leaders used the moment to double down on the importance of trade between their two nations, and the importance of multilateralism and free trade. Albanese underlined Australia’s commitment to encouraging a positive relationship with China. He said, “Australia loves our relationship with China, which is going to be important for us to engage with patiently and consistently—but always based on what is in our national interest.”
Xi’s talk stressed the need for collaboration. To protect the international order based on law, Xi called for standing by fairness and justice to defend the international order based on law. No matter how the international scene may change, he said, the two countries should stay true to their commitment of collaborating.
Trade Discussions and Future Cooperation
Perhaps most importantly, we found that besides bilateral relations, the subject of international trade became predominant in their discussions. Though the outline talked a lot about all of Donald Trump’s trade tariffs, specifics were never given. Both leaders emphasized the need to keep strong trade connections, noting that collaboration would be profitable for both.
Albanese expressed support for China’s bid to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in 2026, reinforcing Australia’s willingness to collaborate on regional initiatives. He remarked, “We are ready to work with China,” showcasing Australia’s intention to engage positively with its major trading partner.
The ownership of the Port of Darwin, which has been a contentious issue in past summits, was missing from the agenda this time around. Albanese’s administration seems intent on encouraging a more positive overall relationship with China, sidestepping flashpoint topics that might otherwise derail the conversation.
Addressing Security Concerns
At the town hall, Albanese addressed urgent security issues. In particular, he cited this year’s Chinese military exercises—particularly the live-fire drills that have freaked Australia out. He stated, “I said what I said at the time… there was no breach of international law by China in that,” while expressing concerns about how these activities were conducted.
In response, Xi Jinping noted that China conducts exercises similarly to Australia, suggesting a mutual understanding of national security protocols. While there is much more to be done, this recognition has opened doors for further conversations on military transparency and the security of our region.
