Sweet and sour in Beijing: PM's China trip bears fruit

The Advertiser

15-07-2025

Sweet and tangy jujubes could soon be on the way to Australian shelves as part of a broadened trade pact with China.
The agreement was one of six signed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday as Australia and China sought to boost business links as US President Donald Trump upends the global trade order.
Jujubes, a small apple-like fruit, will be exported to Australia while apples from the Australian mainland will be allowed to be exported to China for the first time.
Another four memoranda of understanding were signed by the pair as Mr Albanese met the highest-ranking Chinese leaders - President Xi Jinping, Premier Li and Chairman Zhao Leji - in the centrepiece of his six-day visit to China.
Australia and China must deepen economic co-operation given increasing trade frictions elsewhere, Mr Li said after a lavish welcome in Beijing's Great Hall of the People.
"In recent years, co-operation has encountered headwinds," he said, adding that it was hard to find two countries with more complementary economies than Australia and China.
His comments were echoed by Mr Albanese.
"My government believes unequivocally in free and fair trade as a driver of global growth, and I know the discussions that we've had today have been very constructive," he said.
But the relationship is not without its challenges.
China has chafed at Australia's stringent foreign investment regime on Chinese firms.
Mr Li said China would protect the rights of foreign businesses and treat them in accordance with the law, in an oblique reference to Australian plans to tear up a Chinese-owned company's lease of Darwin Port.
"I trust Australia will treat Chinese enterprise fairly and properly resolve issues regarding market access and investment review," he told a gathering of Australian and Chinese business leaders.
Mr Li and Mr Albanese also signed an agreement to kickstart a review of the 10-year-old free trade agreement between the two nations.
Collaboration on steel decarbonisation, increasing tourism links and paperless certification of agriculture products were also broached at the meeting.
The prime minister will visit the Great Wall on Wednesday before flying out to Chengdu in the southwestern province of Sichuan - known as the home of the giant panda.
Sweet and tangy jujubes could soon be on the way to Australian shelves as part of a broadened trade pact with China.
The agreement was one of six signed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday as Australia and China sought to boost business links as US President Donald Trump upends the global trade order.
Jujubes, a small apple-like fruit, will be exported to Australia while apples from the Australian mainland will be allowed to be exported to China for the first time.
Another four memoranda of understanding were signed by the pair as Mr Albanese met the highest-ranking Chinese leaders - President Xi Jinping, Premier Li and Chairman Zhao Leji - in the centrepiece of his six-day visit to China.
Australia and China must deepen economic co-operation given increasing trade frictions elsewhere, Mr Li said after a lavish welcome in Beijing's Great Hall of the People.
"In recent years, co-operation has encountered headwinds," he said, adding that it was hard to find two countries with more complementary economies than Australia and China.
His comments were echoed by Mr Albanese.
"My government believes unequivocally in free and fair trade as a driver of global growth, and I know the discussions that we've had today have been very constructive," he said.
But the relationship is not without its challenges.
China has chafed at Australia's stringent foreign investment regime on Chinese firms.
Mr Li said China would protect the rights of foreign businesses and treat them in accordance with the law, in an oblique reference to Australian plans to tear up a Chinese-owned company's lease of Darwin Port.
"I trust Australia will treat Chinese enterprise fairly and properly resolve issues regarding market access and investment review," he told a gathering of Australian and Chinese business leaders.
Mr Li and Mr Albanese also signed an agreement to kickstart a review of the 10-year-old free trade agreement between the two nations.
Collaboration on steel decarbonisation, increasing tourism links and paperless certification of agriculture products were also broached at the meeting.
The prime minister will visit the Great Wall on Wednesday before flying out to Chengdu in the southwestern province of Sichuan - known as the home of the giant panda.
Sweet and tangy jujubes could soon be on the way to Australian shelves as part of a broadened trade pact with China.
The agreement was one of six signed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday as Australia and China sought to boost business links as US President Donald Trump upends the global trade order.
Jujubes, a small apple-like fruit, will be exported to Australia while apples from the Australian mainland will be allowed to be exported to China for the first time.
Another four memoranda of understanding were signed by the pair as Mr Albanese met the highest-ranking Chinese leaders - President Xi Jinping, Premier Li and Chairman Zhao Leji - in the centrepiece of his six-day visit to China.
Australia and China must deepen economic co-operation given increasing trade frictions elsewhere, Mr Li said after a lavish welcome in Beijing's Great Hall of the People.
"In recent years, co-operation has encountered headwinds," he said, adding that it was hard to find two countries with more complementary economies than Australia and China.
His comments were echoed by Mr Albanese.
"My government believes unequivocally in free and fair trade as a driver of global growth, and I know the discussions that we've had today have been very constructive," he said.
But the relationship is not without its challenges.
China has chafed at Australia's stringent foreign investment regime on Chinese firms.
Mr Li said China would protect the rights of foreign businesses and treat them in accordance with the law, in an oblique reference to Australian plans to tear up a Chinese-owned company's lease of Darwin Port.
"I trust Australia will treat Chinese enterprise fairly and properly resolve issues regarding market access and investment review," he told a gathering of Australian and Chinese business leaders.
Mr Li and Mr Albanese also signed an agreement to kickstart a review of the 10-year-old free trade agreement between the two nations.
Collaboration on steel decarbonisation, increasing tourism links and paperless certification of agriculture products were also broached at the meeting.
The prime minister will visit the Great Wall on Wednesday before flying out to Chengdu in the southwestern province of Sichuan - known as the home of the giant panda.
Sweet and tangy jujubes could soon be on the way to Australian shelves as part of a broadened trade pact with China.
The agreement was one of six signed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday as Australia and China sought to boost business links as US President Donald Trump upends the global trade order.
Jujubes, a small apple-like fruit, will be exported to Australia while apples from the Australian mainland will be allowed to be exported to China for the first time.
Another four memoranda of understanding were signed by the pair as Mr Albanese met the highest-ranking Chinese leaders - President Xi Jinping, Premier Li and Chairman Zhao Leji - in the centrepiece of his six-day visit to China.
Australia and China must deepen economic co-operation given increasing trade frictions elsewhere, Mr Li said after a lavish welcome in Beijing's Great Hall of the People.
"In recent years, co-operation has encountered headwinds," he said, adding that it was hard to find two countries with more complementary economies than Australia and China.
His comments were echoed by Mr Albanese.
"My government believes unequivocally in free and fair trade as a driver of global growth, and I know the discussions that we've had today have been very constructive," he said.
But the relationship is not without its challenges.
China has chafed at Australia's stringent foreign investment regime on Chinese firms.
Mr Li said China would protect the rights of foreign businesses and treat them in accordance with the law, in an oblique reference to Australian plans to tear up a Chinese-owned company's lease of Darwin Port.
"I trust Australia will treat Chinese enterprise fairly and properly resolve issues regarding market access and investment review," he told a gathering of Australian and Chinese business leaders.
Mr Li and Mr Albanese also signed an agreement to kickstart a review of the 10-year-old free trade agreement between the two nations.
Collaboration on steel decarbonisation, increasing tourism links and paperless certification of agriculture products were also broached at the meeting.
The prime minister will visit the Great Wall on Wednesday before flying out to Chengdu in the southwestern province of Sichuan - known as the home of the giant panda.