Xi Jinping acknowledges ‘twists and turns’ and calls for ‘great care’ in G20 meeting with Anthony Albanese

Rio de Janeiro: Xi Jinping has acknowledged the “twists and turns” in Beijing’s relationship with Australia, telling Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that “great care” needs to be taken to maintain the partnership.

The Chinese President told Mr Albanese while there had been a “turnaround” in relations, he wanted the pair to keep working to make the relationship “more mature, stable and fruitful, and inject more stability and certainty to the region and the wider world”.

The meeting, at Mr Xi’s hotel in Rio de Janeiro, came ahead of the G20 leaders’ summit where global security, climate change and trade will be leaders’ key priorities.

In their opening remarks, Mr Xi and Mr Albanese both recognised that their meeting marked ten years of a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Mr Xi said the relationship had been through a lot in the last decade, but his discussions with the PM “were very productive over the past year and more”.

“Over the past decade, we have made some progress in China-Australia relations and also witnessed some twists and turns,” Mr Xi said.

“Now, our relations have realised a turnaround and continue to grow, bringing tangible benefits to our two peoples. This is the result of our collective hard work in the same direction, and should be maintained with great care.”

Beijing put Canberra in the diplomatic freezer in 2020 and had imposed a raft of trade barriers on Australian goods while communication between the two countries deteriorated.

China had been critical of the AUKUS alliance and other Australian security decisions.

But the “turnaround” Mr Xi described began when Mr Albanese and Mr Xi resumed top-level talks in late 2022, with a subsequent bilateral in Beijing last December.

Mr Albanese said since then, there had been “further encouraging progress in the stabilisation of our relationship”.

“Trade is flowing more freely to the benefit of both countries and to people and businesses on both sides, and we continue to explore opportunities for practical co-operation in areas of shared interest, including our energy transition and climate change,” Mr Albanese said.

“Our whole region will benefit from the prosperity that can flow from peace, security and stability in our region. That is why our direct discussions to build deeper understanding on the issues that matter to us are important.”

Mr Xi has held a series of bilaterals at the APEC and G20 sidelines, including with outgoing US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer as he ramped up his messaging about a “multipolar world”.

He has been trying to shore up support ahead of a likely trade war with the incoming Trump Administration.