Australia’s Albanese meets China’s Xi

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By Kirsty Needham

SYDNEY- Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met China’s President Xi Jinping in Brazil on Monday, as Beijing seeks to promote Australia as a model for trading with China in a Trump era, even as Canberra draws closer defense ties with Washington.

The meeting with Xi, which took place on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, comes a year after Albanese travelled to Beijing to end a years-long diplomatic dispute that saw billions of dollars worth of Australian exports to its largest trading partner blocked.

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Albanese said there had been “encouraging progress in the stabilization of our relationship”.

“Trade is flowing more freely to the benefit of both countries and to people and businesses on both sides,” he said, according to an official transcript of his opening remarks.

Australia and China would look for opportunities to cooperate in energy transition and climate change, he said.

Meanwhile, Xi told Albanese, their relationship had achieved a turnaround and the two countries were maintaining a positive momentum of development, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency.

Xi said he hoped Australia would provide a non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies, Xinhua reported.

The pledge by the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump to impose hefty tariffs on China appears in contrast to Australia’s policy of stabilizing ties and exporting iron ore, gas and agricultural produce to China’s complementary economy, analysts said. – Reuters

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