Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will meet China’s President Xi Jinping in Brazil on November 18th, as Beijing seeks to promote Australia as a model for trading with China in a Trump era, even as Canberra draws closer defence ties with Washington.
The meeting with Xi, which Australian officials said would take place on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, comes a year after Albanese travelled to Beijing to end a years-long diplomatic dispute that saw billions of dollars worth of Australian exports to its largest trading partner blocked.
Complementary Economies of China and Australia
The pledge by the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump to impose hefty tariffs on China appears in contrast to Australia’s policy of stabilising ties and exporting iron ore, gas and agricultural produce to China’s complementary economy, analysts said.
Albanese told reporters Australia had not changed its position on any of the differences it has with Beijing, and exports to China created jobs in Australia.
The U.S. Ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, said in a speech that Australia was “hands down our most glorious friend”.
She highlighted increased defence cooperation between Washington and Canberra, and plans to develop Australia’s critical minerals sector to break China’s “chokehold”.
Australia’s Balancing Policy
“Australian policy with Washington in the Trump era looks increasingly like it is going to be running on two tracks – with deepening and intensifying ties in security, with a more discordant and combative relationship on trade,” said Lowy Institute senior fellow for East Asia, Richard McGregor.
In an editorial last week, the state-owned China Daily newspaper said Australia was a model for U.S. allies in a Trump era, because it had shaken off Washington’s “anti-China spell” to balance trade with China.
There was no prospect of Australia joining the U.S. in imposing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, for example, and Canberra and Beijing were strong supporters of the World Trade Organization to resolve trade disputes, he said.
Mending UK-China Ties
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit on November 18th , his office said in a statement on November 17th.
Starmer will call for Britain and other major economies to engage with China “pragmatically” on areas of mutual cooperation, including international stability, climate and growth, Downing Street added.
The meeting with Xi will be a first for Starmer, who was elected to power in July. It will also be the first in-person meeting between Xi and a British prime minister since 2018.
The duo spoke on the phone in August, when Starmer told Xi that the two countries must be able to talk frankly about their disagreements while pursuing closer economic ties. Xi responded that he hoped Britain would treat China “objectively and rationally.”
Starmer’s government has previously said it plans an audit of Britain’s relationship with China to understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities Beijing poses.
(With inputs from Reuters)
