Xi message affirms China-Australia ties are going in ‘right direction’
- In an Australia Day note to the Australian governor general, the Chinese leader said the two countries are looking to the future
- Relations have improved since last year’s change of government in Canberra, with trade talks expected within months
Xi said he attached “great importance to the development of relations between the two countries”, state news agency Xinhua reported.
“The two countries have reviewed the past and looked to the future, making active efforts towards the right direction of improving and growing China-Australia ties,” he said, according to Xinhua.
Relations between Australia and China have improved since the election of the centre-left Labor government in May – led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – with a meeting of top trade officials from the two countries expected to take place within months.
Under Albanese’s predecessor Scott Morrison, Beijing imposed trade sanctions on Australian exports, including coal, barley and seafood, after he called for an international investigation into the origins of Covid-19.
Since Albanese’s election, Australian and Chinese officials have met for talks on foreign policy and defence, and there are hopes for an imminent thaw in the trade relationship.