Chinese premier hails recent progress in China-Australia ties

Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the sidelines of the leaders' meetings on East Asia cooperation held in Vientiane, Laos, Oct. 10, 2024. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang said in Vientiane on Thursday that China-Australia ties have recently been steadily advancing, with practical cooperation in various fields gradually progressing, and subnational as well as people-to-people exchanges becoming more active.

Li made the remarks during his meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the sidelines of the leaders' meetings on East Asia cooperation held in Vientiane.

Li noted that China is willing to further strengthen mutual understanding with Australia, jointly build a more mature, stable and fruitful China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership to better benefit the two peoples, and make greater contributions to regional and world peace, stability and development.

Highlighting the mutually beneficial and win-win nature of China-Australia ties, Li said that China is ready to share more development opportunities with Australia, continue to strengthen exchanges on macroeconomic policies, and expand cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, green development, scientific and technological innovation to add more impetus to the shared development of both countries.

Li said that China will further deepen reform in all aspects and vigorously promote high-level opening up, while continuing to create a market-oriented, law-based and internationalized first-class business environment.

He added that China welcomes more Australian enterprises to invest in China, expressing his hope that Australia will provide a fair, safe, non-discriminatory and predictable business environment for Chinese enterprises to invest and operate in Australia.

Li noted that the two sides should expand cultural and people-to-people exchanges as well as personnel exchanges to consolidate the foundation of bilateral relations. Stressing that a peaceful, stable and prosperous Asia-Pacific is in the common interests of China, Australia and other countries in the region, he said China is ready to work with Australia to safeguard peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region with concrete actions.

For his part, Albanese said that the current development momentum of Australia-China relations is positive and stable with dialogues in diplomatic, economic and other fields being carried out intensively.

He expressed the willingness to further strengthen high-level and all-level dialogue and cooperation with China, and deepen cooperation in fields such as economy and trade, green economy, clean energy, climate change and cultural and people-to-people exchanges to promote the sustained development of bilateral ties.

Australia adheres to the one-China policy and is willing to strengthen coordination with China in multilateral fields to jointly safeguard regional and world peace, stability and prosperity, Albanese said.