AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, on a visit to China from Saturday to Tuesday, is the first Australian PM to visit China in seven years. His visit provides a good opportunity for both sides to put bilateral ties back on track.

Albanese and the Australian delegation were scheduled to stop in Shanghai to attend the 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) and visit the booths of prominent Australian companies and organizations such as Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton and the Australian Trade and Investment Commission. The presence of Australian firms at the CIIE, which runs between Sunday and Friday, reflects the deep economic and trade connections between China and Australia.

Prior to Albanese’s visit, China and Australia held friendly consultations on WTO disputes over wine and wind towers. And Canberra has ruled that there are no security risks associated with a Chinese company’s lease of the Port of Darwin. These positive developments have cleared the way for the bilateral relationship to move forward.

From 2018 until Albanese was elected prime minister in 2022, Australia appeared to align itself with the United States’ geopolitical agenda, challenging China’s national interests and interfering in China’s internal affairs.

Then, during the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, in 2022, China and Australia held their first high-level meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. The meeting offered a diplomatic window to reset bilateral relations. Since then, Canberra has been adjusting its China policy, implementing rational and flexible measures to normalize economic, trade and people-to-people exchanges.

It is noteworthy that Albanese visited the United States before traveling to China, but he announced his visit to China prior to his U.S. trip. This decision suggests that Albanese sought to prevent any uncertainty during his U.S. visit from affecting his trip to China, demonstrating his conscious efforts to balance relations with both countries. In response to U.S. President Joe Biden’s warning about dealing with China, Albanese emphasized that the decision to restore relations with China was “calibrated and deliberate.”

The choice of Nov. 4 for the visit holds historical significance. Fifty years ago, in 1973, then Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam concluded a momentous visit to China, marking the first formal visit by an Australian PM since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

It is hoped that Albanese will take concrete actions to enhance bilateral ties and foster mutual development.

(Global Times)