China, Australia to ‘properly’ manage differences: Premier Li after ‘candid’ talks

New energy vehicles, visa-free travel in focus as Premier Li Qiang recounts ‘fruitful’ talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra

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Chinese Premier Li Qiang is greeted by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Monday. Photo: AP

Published: 4:25pm, 17 Jun 2024

China and Australia have agreed to “properly” manage their differences to enhance the “vitality and durability” of their bilateral relationship, following “candid” talks in Canberra.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang met his counterpart Anthony Albanese in the Australian capital on Monday, as the most senior Beijing official to visit the country in seven years.

The talks were “in-depth and fruitful”, Li said, highlighting “candid” exchanges on some differences and disagreements between the two countries.

The two sides will expand cooperation on new energy vehicles, Li told a joint press conference with Albanese after the meeting. The pledge comes amid a looming trade war between China and the European Union over Brussels’ tariff hikes and investigations into state subsidies for the Chinese green sector.

Li also announced that travel to China would become visa-free for Australians, mirroring an initiative for New Zealanders he unveiled last week in Auckland, but did not offer details.

The world’s No 2 economy has granted visa waivers to more than a dozen countries in Europe and Southeast Asia over the past year, as it tries to draw more foreign visitors and investors to boost post-Covid growth and mend its global image, dented by strict pandemic controls and nationwide anti-espionage efforts.