
On Saturday (October 12), Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese held talks with China's premier Li Keqiang, in the first in-person meeting of the two countries' leaders since 2019, and spoke about the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.
The last meeting was held between former prime minister Scott Morrison and Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2019.
The Australian prime minister claimed the meeting to be "positive and constructive." Both leaders spoke at a gala dinner on Saturday night at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, AFP reported.
Under the previous Australian conservative government, relations with China had deteriorated to an all-time low, and Albanese's administration is all set to mend ties.
Albanese said it was for the best that this meeting occurred. "I've said repeatedly about the relationship with China -- that we should cooperate where we can and that dialogue was always a good thing."
A report by the state-run news agency Xinhua said that Li is all set to use the diplomatic anniversary to promote sustainability, and sound and steady growth of China-Australia relations.
The Asian country had hit Australia with trade restrictions that cost the country billions of dollars in goods and services exports.
The Labor leader is also expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali.
(With inputs from agencies)
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