Australian PM Anthony Albanese to visit China from July 12-18 to boost ties on trade, AI, green energy, and digital economy. Photo/X.
Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister of Australia, on Tuesday confirmed that he will visit China this weekend after a gap of seven years.
According to reports, China seeks to deepen partnerships in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), green energy, and the digital economy.
“I look forward to going to Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu, which I will visit from Saturday,” Albanese told reporters in Hobart. He did not provide further details about his trip.
The Chinese foreign ministry later confirmed that Albanese will be in China from July 12 to July 18 and visit three states.
“China is willing to work with Australia to take this visit as an opportunity to strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust and expand practical cooperation,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during a regular press briefing.
This will be Albanese’s second visit to China as prime minister since his re-election in May. He visited China for first time in 2023 after a seven-year diplomatic freeze between the two countries. Australi is currently part of US led groups that aim to contain the rise of China in Indo-Pacific.
During his first visit to China, Albanese spoke about the importance of maintaining communication with the country despite ongoing differences between the two major trading partners. Australia is eyeing to make deals with manufacturing giant while being in close relationship with US.
China is Australia’s largest trading partner, and Albanes is visiting the country at a time Beijing has proposed a review of the decade-old free trade agreement between the two nations.
The aim of the visit is said to be to strengthen cooperation in core sectors such as agriculture and mining, while also exploring new areas like technology development.
“We are willing to review the agreement with a more open attitude and higher standard,” Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian wrote in The Australian Financial Review on Monday.
Albanese was asked whether Australia would consider including artificial intelligence in the free trade agreement with China, he responded cautiously, “We will determine our policy.”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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