This weekend, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese launched his “reconciliation tour” in China. For the first time since 2016, an Australian head of government visits the People’s Republic. The program includes, among other things, meetings with China’s head of state, Xi Jinping, and talks with Prime Minister Li Qiang.
The two countries have been trying for months to find a way out of the diplomatic crisis. Since 2020, Beijing has imposed dozens of trade restrictions on Australian exports. The Chinese government blamed Australia for trade problems and accused the Canberra government of “violating the basic norms of international relations”.
Bilateral relations were strained in 2018 when Australia became the first country to ban Chinese tech giant Huawei from its 5G mobile network. Relations deteriorated again in 2020 when then-Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an independent investigation into the origins of the new coronavirus.
Portal/Greg Baker China’s head of state, Xi Jinping, and Prime Minister Li Qiang want to stabilize relations with Australia
Concern about a collapse in trade
“The fact that this is the first visit to our most important trading partner in seven years is a very positive step, and I look forward to constructive discussions with President Xi and Premier Li during my visit,” Albanese said on Saturday . “It is the result of our patient, calibrated and deliberate approach to relations with China.”
Since taking office last year, the Albanese government has boasted of “stabilized” relations with China. China had already lifted most trade blockades before the visit was announced. Recently, a breakthrough was achieved in the dispute over Chinese import tariffs on wine. Albanese announced that he would revitalize the free trade agreement between China and Australia.
The three-day visit is mainly about economics. Just as Canberra is worried about the collapse of exports to China, Beijing is worried about the lack of Chinese investment in Australia. China is Australia’s largest export market, especially for iron ore, natural gas and critical minerals such as lithium.
picturedesk.com/Zhan min Australian blogger Yang Hengjun has been in Chinese custody since 2019
Economic negotiations overshadowed by prison
But the visit to China also has the potential for tougher fronts. Albanese wants to protest the lack of transparency in China’s treatment of jailed Australian blogger Yang Hengjun. The Chinese native, who has held Australian citizenship since 2002, traveled from New York to China in 2019 and disappeared upon his arrival. Only later was it announced that he had been arrested.
Yang is well-known as a blogger in China. He regularly commented on Chinese politics and was sometimes critical of the Communist Party. Canberra’s Foreign Ministry asked the Beijing government in 2019 to provide the exact reasons for the detention. A few days ago, his family asked for Yang’s release because he could die in custody.
“I will say that Yang’s case needs to be resolved and I will talk about his rights in detention, the nature of detention and the failure of transparent processes,” Albanese announced on Saturday. A few weeks ago, Australian journalist Cheng Lei was released after three years in prison. The prosecution accused her of transmitting state secrets abroad. What exactly this was about remained unclear until the end.