Australia-China thaw: First high-level dialogue in 3 years, PM Albanese confirms visit this year

In a major sign of thaw in relations between Australia and China, the two nations opened their first high-level dialogue on Thursday (Sept 7) after a long hiatus of three years.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also declared on Thursday that he will himself visit China later thisyear to mend relations with his country’s largest trading partner.

The high-level dialogue, being held in Beijing, will focus on trade, people-to-people links, and security.

“I welcome the recent positive developments in the bilateral relationship, but we know that there is more work to do,” said Craig Emerson, the head of the Australian delegation and a former trade minister.

Statement by China

China, which is witnessing a steep fall in its economic growth, has also shown a willingness to put the ties with Australia back on track.

China’s former foreign minister Li Zhaoxing said the two countries should work together, but added that “we should adhere to the liberalisation of trade and jointly oppose the Cold War mentality, bloc confrontation and trade protectionism”.

Albanese to visit China next year

While attending a summit of ASEAN nations in Indonesia’s Jakarta on Thursday, Albanese declared that he wanted to see the progress in the bilateral ties between Beijing and Canberra.

"I look forward to visiting China later this year to mark the 50th anniversary of Prime Minister Whitlam’s historic visit," Albanese said in a statement after the meeting, referring to the first visit to communist China by an Australian leader, then Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, in 1973.

The confirmation of the visit is a significant step towards stabilising ties with China, especially in the wake of the tensions that emerged following the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2019.

Brief timeline of Australia-China ties

In the year 2020, the relationship between Australia and its biggest trade partner took a turn for the worse. All of this started after Australia took the decision to initiate an inquiry into the origins of the COVID-19 virus, a move that Beijing perceived as ‘provocative’.

In response to Australia's call for an investigation, China enacted a series of retaliatory actions, including the imposition of anti-dumping duties on Australian wine and barley.

Watch:Australia and china reunite for diplomatic talks

In the face of these developments, Australia responded by formally lodging a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) in December of the same year.

The landscape changed when Australia's centre-left Labor party secured victory and assumed power last year. This change in leadership appeared to contribute to the easing of tensions between the two nations.

The ramifications of this shift were manifold. After a hiatus of nearly three years, China resumed its purchases of Australian coal in January.

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