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Australia-China relations: Albanese says meeting China’s Xi ‘would be a positive thing’

  • No meeting between the two leaders has yet been finalised, but both are set to attend next week’s G20 summit in Indonesia
  • Australia’s PM also plans to be at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bangkok and the East Asia Summit in Cambodia, his office said

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Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese holds a koala last month during a visit to the country by his Japanese counterpart. Photo: EPA-EFE
Reutersin Sydney
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday that a meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping would be a positive development after years of strained relations between the two countries.

Albanese is set to attend the G20 summit in Bali, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bangkok and the East Asia Summit in Cambodia, his office said on Wednesday.

Xi is also set to attend the G20, an adviser to the Indonesian president has previously said, but it is unclear if he will be at the other meetings in the region that Albanese will attend.
The leaders of Australia and China last met in person when Albanese’s predecessor Scott Morrison saw Xi Jinping during 2019’s G20 summit in Osaka, Japan. Photo: Australian Prime Minister’s Office Handout
The leaders of Australia and China last met in person when Albanese’s predecessor Scott Morrison saw Xi Jinping during 2019’s G20 summit in Osaka, Japan. Photo: Australian Prime Minister’s Office Handout

“I’ve made it very clear that dialogue is a good thing, and if a meeting is arranged with Xi, then that would be a positive thing,” Albanese told a news conference in Canberra.

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“We’re organising a range of meetings but they haven’t been finalised,” he added.

Diplomatic ties between Australia and China have deteriorated sharply in recent years, with China imposing trade sanctions on some imports from Australia and reacting angrily to Canberra’s call for an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus.

Canberra on Wednesday ordered an inquiry into reports Australians were among Western military pilots who had been approached to help train the Chinese military.
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