Australia PM Albanese to discuss trade, security in meeting with China's Xi
BEIJING - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Tuesday, where he said resources trade, energy transition and security tensions are key topics for discussion.
Albanese is due to meet Xi ahead of an annual leaders dialogue with Li, and later attend a business roundtable at the Great Hall of the People.
Albanese said on Monday he looked forward to a "constructive dialogue" with the Chinese leaders.
Australia, which regards the United States its major security ally, has pursued a China policy of "cooperate where we can, disagree where we must" under Albanese.
Australia has expressed concern at China's military build-up and the jailing of an Australian writer, while Beijing has criticised Canberra's increased screening of foreign investment in critical minerals and Albanese's pledge to return a Chinese-leased port to Australian ownership.
Chinese state media outlet Xinhua said the relationship between the two countries, which have complementary economies, was steadily improving.
Australia's exports to China, its largest trading partner, span agriculture and energy but are dominated by iron ore, and Albanese has traveled with executives from mining giants Rio Tinto, BHP, and Fortescue, who met with Chinese steel industry officials on Monday, as part of a six-day visit.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Business 'Some cannot source outside China': S'pore firms' challenges and support needed amid US tariffs
Multimedia From local to global: What made top news in Singapore over the last 180 years?
World Trump arms Ukraine and threatens sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil
Singapore Turning tragedy into advocacy: Woman finds new purpose after paralysis
Opinion Sumiko at 61: Everything goes south when you age, changing your face from a triangle to a rectangle
Sport World Aquatics C'ship women's 10km open water swimming event delayed by a day due to water quality
Singapore HSA intensifies crackdown on vapes; young suspected Kpod peddlers nabbed in Bishan, Yishun
Singapore Ex-cop charged after he allegedly went on MHA portal, unlawfully shared info with man
Bran Black, CEO of the Business Council of Australia, said Australia's Bluescope Steel will also be at Tuesday's business roundtable, along with China's electric vehicle giant BYD, Chinese banking executives, Baosteel and COFCO.
"First and foremost we use fixtures such as this to send a signal that business-to-business engagement should be welcomed and encouraged," Black told Reuters on Tuesday. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Life-threatening operations by Russia, Iran and China are intensifying in UK, police say
Russia, Iran and China are using criminals, vulnerable people, the disenfranchised, and even children as proxies to carry out attacks in the UK, say police. LONDON - Russia, Iran and China are behind a growing number of life-threatening operations in Britain including attacks and kidnappings, often deploying criminals and sometimes children as proxies, two senior British police officers said on July 15. The British authorities in recent years have repeatedly voiced concern at what they said was malign activity by the three states in Britain, ranging from traditional espionage and actions to undermine the state, to sabotage and assassinations. Those accusations have been rejected by Moscow, Beijing and Tehran, which say they are politically motivated. On July 15, the two British officers said told reporters there had been a fivefold increase in hostile state activity since the Novichok nerve agent poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in 2017, which London says was carried out by Russian spies. Commander Dominic Murphy, who heads up London's Counter Terrorism Command, said the breadth, complexity and volume of hostile operations from Russia, Iran and China had grown at a rate neither they nor their international partners nor any intelligence community had predicted. 'We are increasingly seeing these three states... undertaking threat-to-life operations in the United Kingdom,' he told reporters. In most instances, proxies, usually criminals acting quite often for small amounts of cash, were carrying out the states' work for them, said Assistant Chief Constable Vicki Evans, the Senior National Coordinator for UK Counter Terrorism Policing. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Las Vegas Sands' new development part of S'pore's broader, more ambitious transformation: PM Wong Singapore Economic headwinds do not dampen outlook for new Marina Bay development: Las Vegas Sands president Business MAS records net profit of $19.7 billion, fuelled by investment gains Singapore Man charged with attempted murder of woman at Kallang Wave Mall Singapore Singapore CDL's long-time director Phillip Yeo to depart after boardroom feud Singapore Ex-cleaner jailed over safety lapses linked to guard's death near 1-Altitude rooftop bar Life The Violinist, Singapore's first animated historical film, set for August 2026 release Singapore 'Nobody deserves to be alone': Why Mummy and Acha have fostered over 20 children in the past 22 years The proxies also included vulnerable people or those who felt disenfranchised, with those aged in their mid teens among those arrested or under investigation. 'We are concerned that they might find themselves in an online environment where they're encouraged or egged on to do something and don't understand what they're being asked to do,' said ACC Evans, adding they were less concerned that the children were ideologically motivated. Earlier this month, three men were convicted over an arson attack on Ukraine-linked businesses in London, which police said had been ordered by Russia's Wagner mercenary group. Their ringleader had earlier admitted plotting to kidnap a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In 2024, the head of Britain's domestic spy agency MI5 said that, since January 2022, there had been 20 Iran-backed plots to kidnap or kill British nationals or individuals based in Britain who Tehran regarded as a threat. 'We know that they are continuing to try and sow violence on the streets of the United Kingdom, they too are to some extent relying on criminal proxies to do that,' Comm Murphy said of Iran. REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Russia, Iran and China intensifying life-threatening operations in UK, police say
LONDON - Russia, Iran and China are behind a growing number of life-threatening operations in Britain including attacks and kidnappings, often deploying criminals and sometimes children as proxies, two senior British police officers said on Tuesday. The British authorities in recent years have repeatedly voiced concern at what they said was malign activity by the three states in Britain, ranging from traditional espionage and actions to undermine the state, to sabotage and assassinations. Those accusations have been rejected by Moscow, Beijing and Tehran, which say they are politically motivated. On Tuesday, the two British officers said told reporters there had been a fivefold increase in hostile state activity since the Novichok nerve agent poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in 2017, which London says was carried out by Russian spies. Dominic Murphy, who heads up London's Counter Terrorism Command, said the breadth, complexity and volume of hostile operations from Russia, Iran and China had grown at a rate neither they nor their international partners nor any intelligence community had predicted. "We are increasingly seeing these three states ... undertaking threat-to-life operations in the United Kingdom," he told reporters. In most instances, proxies, usually criminals acting quite often for small amounts of cash, were carrying out the states' work for them, said Vicki Evans, the Senior National Coordinator for UK Counter Terrorism Policing. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Las Vegas Sands' new development part of S'pore's broader, more ambitious transformation: PM Wong Singapore Economic headwinds do not dampen outlook for new Marina Bay development: Las Vegas Sands president Business MAS records net profit of $19.7 billion, fuelled by investment gains Singapore Man charged with attempted murder of woman at Kallang Wave Mall Singapore Singapore CDL's long-time director Phillip Yeo to depart after boardroom feud Singapore Ex-cleaner jailed over safety lapses linked to guard's death near 1-Altitude rooftop bar Life The Violinist, Singapore's first animated historical film, set for August 2026 release Singapore 'Nobody deserves to be alone': Why Mummy and Acha have fostered over 20 children in the past 22 years The proxies also included vulnerable people or those who felt disenfranchised, with those aged in their mid teens among those arrested or under investigation. "We are concerned that they might find themselves in an online environment where they're encouraged or egged on to do something and don't understand what they're being asked to do," said Evans, adding they were less concerned that the children were ideologically motivated. Earlier this month, three men were convicted over an arson attack on Ukraine-linked businesses in London, which police said had been ordered by Russia's Wagner mercenary group. Their ringleader had earlier admitted plotting to kidnap a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Last year, the head of Britain's domestic spy agency MI5 said that, since January 2022, there had been 20 Iran-backed plots to kidnap or kill British nationals or individuals based in Britain who Tehran regarded as a threat. "We know that they are continuing to try and sow violence on the streets of the United Kingdom, they too are to some extent relying on criminal proxies to do that," Murphy said of Iran. REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Trump tariffs put Bolsonaro and Brazilian right in a bind
FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators wearing costumes and masks depicting former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and U.S. President Donald Trump take part in a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of 50% tariffs on Brazilian products, in Sao Paulo, Brazil July 10, 2025. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini/File Photo SAO PAULO - U.S. President Donald Trump pitched his 50% tariffs against Brazil as a way to support former President Jair Bolsonaro, but three people close to the right-wing ex-president said they were stunned by the move and fear it may do more harm than good. Announcing the higher tariffs in a letter last week, Trump cast them as a pressure tactic to help Bolsonaro, who is on trial before the Brazilian Supreme Court for allegedly plotting a coup to overturn his loss in the 2022 presidential election. Bolsonaro has described the accusations as baseless and insisted he will run for president in 2026, despite a court decision that bars him from the race. In his tariff letter, Trump said his ally Bolsonaro is the victim of a "witch hunt." Brazil's leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who defeated Bolsonaro in 2022, has neither the interest nor the ability to interfere in the case. Last week, he dismissed Trump as an unwanted "emperor" and threatened retaliation if trade negotiations do not advance. Bolsonaro allies fear the steep tariffs, likely to hurt Brazilian sectors from coffee and orange growers to cattle ranching and the aviation industry, could rally national pride behind a defiant Lula, supporting his sagging popularity. Backlash against Trump has already given a boost to several of his ideological foes abroad. Left-of-center parties surged to victory in Canadian and Australian elections this year, riding a wave of opposition to Trump's policies, while hard-right Trump allies have struggled in Romania and Hungary. Bolsonaro's inner circle had been eager for a display of Trump's support since he returned to the White House. Lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, one of the former president's sons, took a leave of absence from Brasilia and moved with his family to rally support for his father in Washington. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Las Vegas Sands' new development part of S'pore's broader, more ambitious transformation: PM Wong Singapore Economic headwinds do not dampen outlook for new Marina Bay development: Las Vegas Sands president Business MAS records net profit of $19.7 billion, fuelled by investment gains Singapore Man charged with attempted murder of woman at Kallang Wave Mall Singapore Singapore CDL's long-time director Phillip Yeo to depart after boardroom feud Singapore Ex-cleaner jailed over safety lapses linked to guard's death near 1-Altitude rooftop bar Life The Violinist, Singapore's first animated historical film, set for August 2026 release Singapore 'Nobody deserves to be alone': Why Mummy and Acha have fostered over 20 children in the past 22 years But the thrill of catching Trump's attention soon curdled as the Bolsonaros realized the crushing weight of the tariffs tied to their cause, according to the sources, who said the family had expected targeted sanctions against one judge overseeing the Supreme Court case. Now the Bolsonaro clan has no alternative but to support Trump and his letter, even while understanding that the move "could provoke negative reactions," said one of the sources, requesting anonymity to discuss private conversations. SCATHING EDITORIALS Last week, in the wake of Trump's tariff announcement, leaders of Brazil's Congress who had been fighting Lula on several fronts issued statements supporting him. "The banner of nationalism holds a very significant appeal, especially within the right-wing camp," said Graziella Testa, a professor of political science at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Brasília. A close association with Trump may prove electorally toxic for allies of Bolsonaro, whose political future was already clouded by the threat of a possible prison sentence and the court decision barring him from public office until 2030. "It is absolutely deplorable that there are still people in Brazil who defend Trump," wrote the conservative opinion page of major Brazilian newspaper O Estado de Sao Paulo in an editorial last week. "Wearing Trump's cap today means aligning oneself with a troglodyte who could cause immense damage to the Brazilian economy." Bolsonaro representatives declined to comment on the newspaper's editorial. On Sunday, the former president tried to show empathy for his supporters without alienating Trump. "It doesn't make me happy to see our rural and urban producers, as well as the people, suffer with this 50% tariff," he said on social media, adding: "The solution is in the hands of the Brazilian authorities." Other conservative politicians in Brazil are also trying to strike a tricky balance in their public comments. Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas, who launched his political career from Bolsonaro's cabinet and is now seen as a possible heir to his electorate, initially blamed Lula's ideology for the tariff hike on social media. By Friday, he was shifting focus to Washington, saying on X that he had met with the head of the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia to "open a dialogue ... based on data and consolidated arguments." The lawmaker Bolsonaro criticized his former ally's efforts to negotiate a compromise and pinned the blame for the situation squarely on Lula's administration, which the hard-right has sought to characterize as a leftist dictatorship. "I'm sorry, but there is no way to ask President Trump — or any remotely decent international authority — to treat a dictatorship as if it were a democracy," he wrote on X. REUTERS
