Chinese Premier Li Qiang will visit Australia and New Zealand, members of the U.S.-led intelligence alliance 'Five Eyes,' this week. It is the first time in seven years since 2017 that a Chinese premier has visited Australia and New Zealand. Following these two countries, Li is also scheduled to make an official visit to Malaysia, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year.
According to AP News and Xinhua News Agency, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced at a regular briefing on the 11th that Premier Li will officially visit New Zealand, Australia, and Malaysia from the 13th to the 20th at the invitation of the three countries' premiers.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed to reporters that Premier Li will visit Australia for four days starting on the 15th. During his visit, Li will hold talks with Prime Minister Albanese and visit the capital Canberra and Western Australia. Albanese described the visit as "another important step toward stabilizing relations with China" and said, "The Chinese premier's visit is an opportunity to advance Australia's interests." The day before, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also confirmed Li's visit in a statement, calling it "an important opportunity for bilateral cooperation and exchange."
Premier Li's visit to Australia and New Zealand is notable as it comes amid escalating U.S.-China tensions in the Pacific region, visiting members of the U.S.-led Five Eyes alliance. In particular, Australia has experienced severe conflicts with China, especially in economic sectors.
Previously, Australia aligned with the U.S. in countering China by excluding Huawei from its 5G network projects and calling for an international investigation into the origins of COVID-19, to which China responded with high retaliatory tariffs. However, since last year, a reconciliation atmosphere has been developing under the Labor government, with Prime Minister Albanese visiting China and holding talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Zhen said, "China and Australia are important countries in the Asia-Pacific region with great economic complementarity and cooperation potential," expressing hope that Premier Li's visit will strengthen high-level exchanges with Australia and promote mutual understanding and trust.
New Zealand's visit is also expected to focus on strengthening economic cooperation between the two countries. Although New Zealand is a member of the Five Eyes alliance, it has been regarded as having a relatively conciliatory stance toward China, which is its largest trading partner. However, there is analysis that discussions related to China's explicit opposition to New Zealand's potential accession to AUKUS (the security alliance of the U.S., U.K., and Australia) may arise.
Premier Li is also scheduled to visit Malaysia, a key member of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. AP News reported that, unlike Australia, Malaysia has refused to take sides in the U.S.-China conflict situation.
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