Australian Prime Minister Visits Great Wall, Says "Positive Ties with China Serve National Interest"

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasized that his country's foreign investment screening system is not targeted at any specific nation, stating that maintaining positive relations with China serves Australia's national interest.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his wife are walking on the Great Wall of China on the 16th. Photo by AP

According to major foreign media outlets such as China's Huanqiu.com, on the 16th, Prime Minister Albanese, while visiting the Great Wall of China, stated, "Maintaining a positive relationship with China is in Australia's interest, and the relationship between the two countries should not be defined by differences." He added, "Foreign investment is based on an objective assessment of national interest."

The previous day, Chinese Premier Li Qiang expressed during a meeting with Chinese and Australian business leaders that he hopes the issues Chinese companies face regarding entry into the Australian market and investment screening will be resolved.

Meanwhile, negotiations between the two countries regarding five pilot shipments of Australian canola seeds for export to China are reportedly nearing completion. Australia is the world's second-largest exporter of canola seeds, which are used to produce canola oil. However, in 2020, Australia was effectively excluded from the Chinese market due to China's quarantine restrictions.

China, as the world's largest importer of canola seeds, currently relies on Canada for the majority of its imports and has launched an anti-dumping investigation into Canadian canola. If these pilot shipments lead to a full resumption of exports, the market share of Australian canola in China could increase.