Chinese Premier Li Qiang has hailed the improvement in ties between China and Australia after arriving in the country for a four-day visit, urging the nations to set aside their differences after years of turbulence. Li, who is China’s second most senior leader after President Xi Jinping, landed in Adelaide on Saturday night for the first such visit by a Chinese leader since 2017. In a statement delivered after arriving in Adelaide, Li said that “China-Australia relations were back on track after a series of twists and turns, generating tangible benefits to the people of both countries”.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang waves on his arrival at Adelaide Airport for a four-day visit to Australia. Credit: nnajosh.hohne “History has proven that seeking common ground while shelving differences and mutually beneficial cooperation are the valuable experience in growing China-Australia relations and must be upheld and carried forward,” he said.
Li’s statement differs to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s repeated mantra that Australia and China should “cooperate where we can, disagree where we must and engage in the national interest”. Albanese has vowed to raise difficult issues with Li during the trip including the suspended death sentence handed to jailed Chinese-Australian academic Yang Hengjun and recent dangerous encounters involving China’s People’s Liberation Army and the Australian Defence Force. The federal opposition is also calling on Albanese to .