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Anthony Albanese is wrapping up his whirlwind three-day trip to China, aimed at stabilizing ties between the two countries.
Today he was given a solemn welcome at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, following a “very positive” meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last night.
The elaborate ceremony in the cavernous Great Hall of the People featured a huge military guard of at least 100 members of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as the band played the Australian anthem.
He then held bilateral talks with his official host, Premier Li Qiang, considered China’s second-ranking official.
Although there were few concrete announcements at the summit, it is clear that Mr Albanese believes his trip to Shanghai and Beijing was a great success.
The visit also attracted much attention in China, with Mr Albanese making headlines in Communist Party newspapers The China Daily and The Global Times, which noted that “China-Australia relations are thawing in the spotlight”.
“As I entered the lobby, I shared with you that I saw on Chinese social media that there were many videos shared about your trip to China, including your speech, including the video of you running along of the river with a yellow jersey,” Mr. Li told Mr. Albanese.
“People were saying we had a beautiful boy coming from Australia.”
From refusing to budge on certain issues to symbolism and numerous discussions about friendship, these are the main takeaways from the visit.
The visit was full of symbolism
Gough Whitlam’s historic trip to China 50 years ago was a key talking point of the trip and was mentioned several times a day.
The then Labor prime minister visited Beijing in 1973, shortly after establishing diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China.
“In China, we often say that when we drink water, we should not forget those who dug the well,” Xi said in his opening speech before his hour-long meeting with Mr. Albanese.
“The Chinese people will not forget Prime Minister Whitlam who dug the well for us.
“And now we begin another 50 years of China-Australia relations.”
Mr Albanese, accompanied by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, braved freezing temperatures on Monday to retrace Mr Whitlam’s footsteps, in some ways recreating the iconic photo of the imposing politician in Beijing’s Temple of Heaven.
At a press conference today, Mr Albanese said China and Australia had agreed to a joint statement containing “practical steps to advance dialogue” on climate change and trade.
Asked if he would like the trip to be remembered in 50 years, Albanese said people will see it as the culmination of months of hard work.
“I hope there will be a recognition that this is a moment where the relationship has progressed, where dialogue has taken place in a respectful way, where differences have been able to be discussed in a way that did not define not the whole relationship,” he said. said.
The commercial relationship is well and truly out of the freeze
Trade Minister Don Farrell said he was receiving positive signals from his Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao that there would be progress towards lifting the few final sanctions China had imposed on Australian products like lobster and some oxen.
Farrell and Albanese visited the Australian stands at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai on Sunday.(PAA: Lukas Coch)
Mr Xi is understood to have expressed a similar sentiment during his meeting with Mr Albanese.
The main theme of the visit from both sides was that business between Australia and China – worth almost $300 billion last year – benefited both countries.
On his first day in Shanghai, Mr Albanese attended the China International Import Expo with Mr Farrell, visiting stalls showcasing products from Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia.
There’s been a lot of talk about friendship, but there are still trust issues.
Mr. Albanese couldn’t quite bring himself to say that he fully trusted the Chinese president before his meeting with Xi.
“We have different political systems, but the engagement I have had with China or with President Xi has been positive, they have been constructive,” Mr Albanese said.
“(Xi) never said anything to me that wasn’t done.”
But after the meeting, Mr Albanese said he had invited Xi to visit Australia at “a mutually beneficial time to be agreed” and that Xi had invited the prime minister to return in the future.
“This is not about people wearing hats, what’s happening here is building a relationship,” he said.
“President Xi…whether in meetings or other discussions we have had one-on-one, has been honest and direct.
“I reiterated that we are not going to let our differences define us and that where there are differences, you discuss them constructively.”
Albanese does not want Australia to be the intermediary between the United States and China
Mr Albanese also strongly rejected the idea that Australia should act as an intermediary between the world’s two largest economies, the United States and China.
Earlier in the trip, he said communications between the two countries were their own business.
“We have a relationship with China and a relationship with the United States,” he said.
“It’s important that they talk to each other and I don’t think they need an intermediary to do that.”
After the meeting, Albanese remained unconvinced that China would answer the US phone.
“I leave the meeting satisfied with the positive engagement between Australia and China which builds on our first meeting which took place at the G20,” Mr Albanese said.
Washington has previously said China has not responded to more than a dozen requests from the U.S. Department of Defense to speak with leaders or engage in dialogue.
Australia won’t budge on certain issues and neither will China
Mr Albanese said he raised China’s human rights record and the plight of Australian writer Yang Hengjun, who has been imprisoned in China for almost five years and is currently suffering from poor health.
China is desperate to join a regional trade pact, impenetrably called the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP.
Mr Xi was expected to seek Australia’s support in its membership bid, but Mr Albanese said the president had not done so.
“He affirmed China’s desire to join the CPTPP simply as part of a general issue regarding global trade and global economic engagement.”
Beijing is certainly concerned about US influence over Australian foreign policy and the AUKUS deal in general.
Despite the warm tone of most Chinese state media editorials before this trip, this was a warning.
“The future will also depend on Australia’s ability to root out internal and external interference to avoid a repeat of past mistakes,” warned an editorial in state media outlet The Global Times.
But Mr Albanese said AUKUS had not been “explicitly” mentioned by the Chinese president.
“We did, however, discuss regional stability and… regarding Taiwan, I reiterated Australia’s support for the status quo and the positions we take in the region,” he said.
Mr Albanese said no request had been made by the president and it “was not transactional”.
“I’ve been very clear that one of the things I’ve brought to this relationship is not transactional, right, do this, and I’ll do that,” he said.
“It’s not about looking for labels or advancements that would define and change the relationship at any given time…it’s about a dynamic relationship.”