Chinese Premier Li Qiang tells Australia: let’s try to set aside our differences
- Li kicks off visit where trade is expected to feature prominently with message stressing importance of ‘seeking common ground’
Premier Li Qiang has said Australia and China must look for common ground despite their differences at the start of a visit where trade will feature prominently on the agenda.
Li arrived in Adelaide on Saturday after a three-day trip to New Zealand and before a stopover in Malaysia. He was greeted by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas and Chinese ambassador Xiao Qian.
“China-Australia exchanges have a long history and the friendship between the two peoples has lasted for a long time,” Li told the media at the start of a four-day stay that will also take him to Perth and Canberra.
Since President Xi Jinping’s visit to Australia in 2014, when the two countries established a comprehensive strategic partnership, various exchanges and forms of cooperation have been “accelerated and upgraded”, with mutual benefit and win-win situations being the “main feature” of their ties, he said.
“History has proven that mutual respect, seeking common ground while reserving differences and mutually beneficial cooperation are valuable experiences in developing China-Australia relations, which need to be upheld and promoted,” said Li.
Li will also meet Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during the visit and the pair will both attend a roundtable meeting with chief executives.
Li said Albanese’s visit to China in November marked a return to the “right track of development after experiencing twists and turns”, using language that echoed previous comments by Xi.
