Chinese Premier Li Qiangh has landed in Australia, stating that relations are “back on track” as he begins the first visit by a Chinese premier to the major trading partner in seven years.
According to a statement from the Chinese embassy, Li said at Adelaide’s airport that Australia is “uniquely positioned to connect the West and the East” and is “an important force of economic globalization and world multipolarity”.
Li stated that bilateral relations have “returned to normal after a period of upheaval.”
Australia is China’s largest supply of iron ore, and China has invested in Australian mining projects; nevertheless, some recent Chinese investment in crucial minerals has been banned by Australia on national interest grounds.
China imposed trade restrictions on a number of Australian agricultural and mineral exports in 2020, as part of a diplomatic disagreement that has since subsided.
During his four-day visit, Li will also visit Canberra and the mining state of Western Australia.
Report says he is expected to visit a pair of pandas on loan from China to Adelaide’s zoo on Sunday.
Li arrived from New Zealand, where he highlighted Chinese demand for New Zealand’s agricultural products.
China is the biggest trading partner of Australia and New Zealand. Canberra and Wellington are seeking to balance trade with regional security concerns over China’s ambitions in the Pacific Islands.
In New Zealand, Li visited major dairy exporter Fonterra after signing agreements with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on trade and climate change, with human rights and foreign interference also on the agenda.
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