[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] A report from Hong Kong media on the 2nd stated that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit to China could be promoted in connection with a high-level trade meeting between China and Australia.
According to Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP), this visit schedule is the result of recalculated relations following the summit meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Australian Prime Minister Albanese at the G20 summit last November. On the 31st of last month, Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell announced that he would hold a video conference with Wang Wentao, Director of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, in the second week of February.
Relations between China and Australia sharply deteriorated in 2020 when then-Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison demanded an investigation into the origin of COVID-19. In response, China retaliated by banning imports of Australian coal, beef, and wine. The Albanese government, which took office in May last year, has been seeking to improve relations with China.
SCMP reported that China is also expected to resume imports of Australian lobster next month.
Regarding the background of the improvement in bilateral relations, Chinese academia views that there is a sense of 'pragmatism' from Australia's perspective. While China and Australia have strong complementary aspects in terms of the market, countries that share democratic values such as India, Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom have limitations.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
