PM Li visits 3 countries

Prime Minister Li Keqiang will visit New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia from today to June 20 to further strengthen ties with countries in the Asia-Pacific region. China has lifted trade restrictions on Australian imports in recent months, opening the way for a full normalization of relations with the country.

Li will meet with Governor-General Dame Cindy Crowe in New Zealand and hold talks with Prime Minister Christopher Lacson to exchange views on bilateral relations and international and regional affairs, foreign affairs spokesman Lin Jian said. This year marks 10 years since China and New Zealand established a comprehensive strategic partnership and Beijing views Wellington as an important partner, he said.
China is New Zealand’s largest trading partner with two-way trade worth $23.28 billion last year. “New Zealand and China work together where we have common interests and we talk openly and constructively with each other where we differ,” Lacson said on Monday. Our relationship is important, complex and resilient,” Lacson said. “The challenging global outlook makes it imperative that we share perspectives and engage China on key issues of importance to New Zealand.”

Australia

During his stay in Australia, he will co-chair the ninth annual meeting of Chinese and Australian leaders in Canberra with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and meet with figures from various sectors of the country at the seventh China-Australia CEO Roundtable. The spokesperson expressed China’s willingness to work with Australia to build a more mature, stable and constructive comprehensive strategic partnership.
China has been Australia’s largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years. In 2023, China will buy $144.35 billion of Australian exports, accounting for 32.5% of total Australian exports to Australia, which reached $40 billion at the end of last year.
However, bilateral relations were severely affected by the policies of the previous Australian government. Since Albanese took office in 2022, the two countries have broken the ice. Li’s visit follows the Albanian visit to China in November and the leaders of the two countries agreed to resume important bilateral dialogues and enhance cooperation in various fields. In recent months, China has lifted trade restrictions on Australian imports, including wine, barley, beef and timber.
During a press conference in Parliament HouseIn Canberra on Tuesday, Albanese said Li’s visit to Australia would be the first by a Chinese premier since 2017 and another important step in cementing our relationship with China. “Prime Minister Li Keqiang’s visit to Australia is an important opportunity to engage directly on issues important to our two countries,” he said. “Australia continues to strive for a stable and direct relationship with China, in which dialogue is central.”

Malaysia

On China-Malaysia relations, spokesperson Lin said China and Malaysia have traditionally been overseas allies. Both are developing countries and emerging economies in Asia; He found that they actively support Asian values ​​of peace, cooperation, inclusiveness and integration and make important contributions to regional peace, prosperity and stability. During his visit to Malaysia, Li will meet King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and hold talks with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Li and Anwar will jointly attend the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia. China hopes to take the visit as an opportunity to improve and expand cooperation with Malaysia in various fields, deepen the Sino-Malaysian community with a shared future, and work together to build a better bilateral relationship for the next 50 years, Lin added. .

Source: People’s Daily, Global Times