G20 Balancing Asia on a Trump Tightrope
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chinese President Xi Jinping have met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. "No fundamental conflict of interests exists"
China-Australia relations in focus during G20 meeting between Anthony Albanese and Xi Jinping
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chinese President Xi Jinping have met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
President Xi described relations with Australia as having "twists and turns" and urged Mr Albanese to take "great care" to maintain the partnership.
It's the third time the leaders have met for discussions seen as a thawing of relations between Australia and China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has described relations with Australia as having faced "twists and turns" in recent years, urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to take "great care" to maintain the improved partnership.
The two leaders met at Mr Xi's hotel on the sidelines of a G20 meeting of the world's largest economies in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
"Over the past decade, we have made some progress in China-Australia relations and also witnessed some twists and turns," Mr Xi told Mr Albanese in opening remarks broadcast via a translator.
Relations between the two countries soured under the former Coalition government.
China took issue with Australian foreign interference laws, the AUKUS alliance and calls for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19.
Mr Xi's government slapped crippling tariffs on select Australian imports, which proved devastating for wine, beef, barley and rock lobster exporters.
"Trade is flowing more freely to the benefit of both countries and to people and businesses on both sides," Mr Albanese told Mr Xi in his opening remarks.
The meeting happened mere minutes after Mr Xi met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The Australia-China meeting lasted around 30 minutes.
Mr Xi's delegation dwarfed that of Mr Albanese.
The men sat opposite each other at tables with purple orchids in between.
Mr Albanese later told reporters he raised the plight of Australian academic, Yang Hengjun who is facing a suspended death sentence in China.
The prime minister also said while he hasn't had formal talks with leaders about Trump's return to the White House, it had featured in informal talks with leaders.
He also raised Australia's support for Ukraine and China's supply of "assets" to help Russia.
Behind the scenes, Australia, the US and like-minded countries are advocating for the G20 final statement to offer a condemnation of the invasion in Ukraine but that's increasingly looking unlikely, with Russia and China's leaders opposed.
Mr Albanese said he raised sticking points that exist in the relationship with China, including cyber threats, threats on Taiwan and tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
"We raised issues that matter," he told reporters.
When pressed whether China could be trusted for its sudden opposition to trade tariffs, Mr Albanese said Australia had long supported free trade and he wouldn't offer a running commentary on other leaders.
The meeting also marked a decade to the day since Australia and China signed a comprehensive strategic partnership while Mr Xi visited Australia.
"That trajectory has many inspirations to offer. Now, our relations have realised a turnaround and continues to grow, bringing tangible benefits to our two peoples," Mr Xi said.
"So, this is the result of our collective hard work in the same direction, and should be maintained with great care."
It's the third time Mr Albanese and Mr Xi have met, first doing so at a G20 meeting in Bali in 2022. That meeting was seen as the beginning of the thawing of relations between the countries.
"I wish to work with you, Mr prime minister, to make our comprehensive strategic partnership more mature, stable and fruitful and inject more stability and certainty to the region and the wider world," Mr Xi told Mr Albanese in Rio.
Despite the improved relations, issues still remain between the two countries, including Chinese military action in the South China Sea, the imprisonment of Australian writer Yang Hengjun and the AUKUS military pact with the United States and United Kingdom.
Mr Xi is spending a week in South America and has met privately with the leaders of the United States, New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, Peru, Chile, South Korea and Singapore.
Mr Albanese also used the first day of the G20 talks to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Stamer and the head of the EU, Ursula von der Leyen.
Incoming US President Donald Trump has loomed large over the G20, like he did at last week's APEC meeting of Pacific-rim nations in Lima.
Mr Xi has used his time in South America to try and stitch together a coalition of free trade advocates that could rebuff Trump's threats to spark a trade war with China.
He urged Mr Albanese to stand against protectionism and champion free trade. That's something Australian prime ministers from both sides of the political aisle have long championed, even in the face of the trade barriers Mr Xi slapped on Australia in 2020.
Mr Xi invited the prime minister to visit Beijing for the annual leaders' talks next year.
A spokesperson for the prime minister described the meeting as a "stocktake" of the progress to restore trade and engagement between Australia and China.
"The PM raised a range of bilateral points, including consular matters as well as people to people links," the spokesperson said.
Chinese state media has reported that Mr Xi urged Mr Albanese to provide non-discriminatory access for businesses seeking to tap into Australia's economy.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-19/g20-anthony-albanese-meets-xi-jinping/104616994
Forward to 1:40 minutes into program.
No fundamental conflict of interests exists between China, Australia, says Xi
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the sidelines of the 19th G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Nov. 18, 2024.
By Zhang Ling (Xinhua)
RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- There is no fundamental conflict of interests between China and Australia, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday.
Xi made the remarks when meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.
Xi said that as long as the two sides adhere to mutual respect, treat each other as equals, and seek common ground while shelving differences, China-Australia relations will surely develop well.
In his meeting with Albanese, Xi also called on China and Australia to strengthen coordination and cooperation and oppose protectionism.
Noting that both China and Australia are supporters and defenders of economic globalization and free trade, he urged the two sides to promote the sharing of opportunities and benefits among various countries via opening up, so as to realize common development.
Xi also said he is ready to work with the Australian side to build a more mature, stable, and fruitful comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Australia to inject more stability and certainty into the region and the world.
Xi pointed out that in November last year, he and Albanese had in-depth communication in Beijing on strategic, overall, and directional issues concerning the long-term development of China-Australia relations.
Over the past year and more, the two countries have maintained close communication and exchanges at all levels, actively promoted the implementation of the important consensus reached between the two leaders, and achieved positive progress, Xi said.
Xi pointed out that more than 250 Australian companies participated in this year's China International Import Expo, a record high, which is a "vote of confidence" by Australian companies in China's economy and cooperation between the two countries.
Noting that the two sides should be firm in expanding the pattern of mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation, Xi said China is willing to import more quality Australian products, encourage Chinese companies to invest and do business in Australia, and hope that Australia will provide a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies.
Albanese said he is very glad to meet with President Xi again on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Australia-China comprehensive strategic partnership.
Since his visit to China last year, Albanese said, the Australia-China relationship has made encouraging progress in various areas, including trade, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples.
The Australian side stays committed to the one-China policy, opposes "decoupling," advocates promoting economic globalization, and hopes to strengthen cooperation with China in such areas as energy transition and climate change, he said.
Noting that China's development has made important contributions to the long-term stability and growth of the Asia-Pacific region, Albanese said that Australia appreciates China's important role in APEC and other multilateral mechanisms, supports China's role as the host of APEC in 2026, and stands ready to strengthen multilateral communication with China to promote regional peace, stability, prosperity and development.
https://english.news.cn/20241118/45ff87a1bbe14ca4bd0b7aeb07f46083/c.html
At G20, Xi Jinping and Anthony Albanese discuss improved China-Australia trade relations
By SCMP
Several world leaders at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro seized the opportunity to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who returned to the global stage after skipping last year’s gathering in India.
Both leaders note progress, with the Australian prime minister saying: ‘Trade is flowing more freely to the benefit of both countries.’
Before attending the group’s scheduled meetings at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Xi held bilateral talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (see below) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Anthony Albanese
Xi met Albanese months after the Australian leader visited Beijing in an attempt to resolve a prolonged dispute that saw billions of dollars worth of Australian exports blocked by China, its largest trading partner.
Albanese noted progress in repairing ties. “Trade is flowing more freely to the benefit of both countries and to people and businesses on both sides,” he said, according to a transcript of his remarks.
He added that the two nations would explore opportunities for cooperation on energy transition and climate change.
Xi echoed the sentiment, telling Albanese that the relationship had turned a corner. According to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, he also urged Australia to maintain a non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies.
The renewed focus on trade ties comes as US president-elect Donald Trump pledges to impose tariffs of 60 per cent on Chinese imports and up to 20 per cent on those from other nations after he takes office on January 20.
Asked about Beijing-Washington relations, Albanese said on Sunday that he would not involve Australia in bilateral disputes. This comes as the US, Australia and Britain progress with Aukus, a trilateral security partnership to accelerate hypersonic vehicle testing and other technologies.
State-owned China Daily last week lauded Australia as a model for US allies in the Trump era, praising its departure from Washington’s “anti-China spell.”
Kier Starmer
Earlier on Monday, Xi had his first in-person meeting with Starmer. The British prime minister addressed “areas where we have different perspectives, including Hong Kong, human rights and Russia’s war in Ukraine”, according to a readout released by Downing Street.
Starmer also raised concerns about Taiwan and sovereignty-related disputes.
Beijing’s readout did not mention these issues. Instead, China’s Foreign Ministry highlighted Xi’s remarks that the world was entering “a new period of turbulence and transformation”. Xi emphasised the importance of “mutual respect [and] open cooperation” between China and Britain to address global challenges.
The two sides also agreed that British Foreign Minister Rachel Reeves would visit Beijing for discussions with her counterpart He Lifeng, though no date was specified.
Xi’s schedule will continue over Monday and Tuesday with official summit events. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he would meet with Xi to discuss concerns about dual-use Chinese exports that Berlin said were aiding Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine.
Scholz also planned to address reports of North Korean soldiers fighting in Ukraine at Russia’s request, calling such involvement “unacceptable” and “a terrible change” in the conflict’s dynamics.
The meeting comes after Xi wrote an opinion article in Brazil’s Folha de S.Paulo, underscoring Beijing and Brasilia’s “identical or convergent views on many international and regional issues”, including a political settlement to the Ukraine war.
Xi referenced a “six-point common understanding” on Ukraine, saying it had garnered “a positive response from the international community,” despite rejection by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and accusations of coordination with Moscow.
Responding indirectly to Xi’s article, Scholz told Folha that “peace in Ukraine must be based on international law” and rejected “any settlement dictated by Russia”.
Additionally, Xi is expected to meet Argentine President Javier Milei, a self-described “ultra-libertarian” who once branded China an “assassin” state and vowed to sever ties with Beijing. However, Milei has since softened his stance, calling the Chinese “very interesting partners.”
Milei is scheduled to visit Beijing early next year.
Igor Patrick
Igor Patrick has worked in different media outlets in Latin America, mainly covering Brics and China. In addition to his bachelor's degree in journalism (PUC Minas), he holds two master's degrees from the Yenching Academy (Peking University) and Schwarzman Scholars (Tsinghua University). Before joining the Post, he was a fellow at the Wilson Center, where he wrote the book "Hearts & Minds, Votes & Contracts: China's State Media in Latin America".
Mark Magnier
Before joining the Post in Washington, Mark worked in China, India and Japan for the Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times and was a Knight-Wallace journalism fellow. He’s covered economic, social and political issues throughout Asia and conflicts in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq, including weeks spent camping under Saddam Hussein’s bridges.
China-UK relations: Keir Starmer tells Xi Jinping Britain seeks ties without ‘surprises’
UK will be predictable ‘sovereign actor committed to the rule of law,’ British PM tells Chinese president on G20 sidelines
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Chinese President Xi Jinping that having strong ties without “surprises” was good for both their nations, as the two leaders met on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Brazil on Monday.
During their meeting, Starmer said he wanted relations with China to be “consistent, durable, respectful, and, as we have agreed, [to] avoid surprises where possible”, according to The Guardian.
He also brought up the issues of human rights and sanctions on parliamentarians, the report said.
“A strong UK-China relationship is important for both of our countries and for the broader international community. The UK will be a predictable, consistent, sovereign actor committed to the rule of law,” Starmer said at the start of the meeting.
Xi said that while China and Britain had different values, culture and social systems, they had common interests and should view each other’s development “rationally and objectively, strengthen strategic communication, enhance political mutual trust, and ensure that bilateral relations are stable, practical and long-term”, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.