Australia and China are trying to stabilize relations between the two countries.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SYDNEY — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday (22/10/2023) that he would travel to China from 4 to 7 November. He will meet with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in an effort to stabilize relations between the two countries.
“It is important for us to stabilize our relationship with China,” Albanese said.
During the visit to China, the leaders will discuss cooperation in various fields such as economic relations, climate change and relations between the two countries. “I look forward to further engagement with President Xi and Prime Minister Li in Australia’s national interests,” Albanese said.
The announcement of the trip to Beijing and Shanghai is the first visit by an Australian leader to China since 2016. This agenda comes after a breakthrough in resolving a dispute with China over wine tariffs which has hit the wine industry on Saturday (21/10/2023).
“We have agreed on the wine issue that there will be a review of China’s position on wine tariffs in the next few months,” Albanese told reporters.
Albanese said Australia reached an agreement with China to move forward in resolving the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute over wine. This success could potentially pave the way for the resumption of imports worth US$800 million a year before import duties are imposed in 2021.
“We will suspend our action before the WTO, but we are very confident that this will result in once again Australian wine, a great product, being able to be shipped to China without tariffs,” the prime minister said.
China’s Ministry of Commerce said on Sunday that the two sides had reached a consensus to resolve a dispute over wine at the World Trade Organization as well as a dispute over Australia’s import duties on Chinese wind towers. The deal, which improves relations with China that have soured over several years over disputes over telecommunications company Huawei, espionage and Covid-19, has been a top priority for Albanese since taking office in 2022.
“China and Australia are each other’s important trading partners, and we are willing to work with the Australian side to continue to meet each other through dialogue and consultations,” China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement.
China’s Ministry of Commerce stated that the two countries held friendly consultations regarding WTO disputes of mutual concern on various matters. Canberra and Beijing are willing to jointly promote the stable and healthy development of bilateral economic and trade relations.
The announcement is the latest in a diplomatic thaw that has seen China lift restrictions on imports of Australian coal, timber and barley. This action comes after Canberra called for an investigation into the origins of Covid-19.
Import duties of up to 218 percent on most Australian wines were introduced in March 2021. The move led to a collapse of trade in the country’s most valuable export market for winemakers.
Source : Republika
