Latest news with #constructive dialogue
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Australian PM Albanese to discuss trade, security in meeting with China's Xi
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he looked forward to a 'constructive dialogue' with the Chinese leaders. (EPA Images pic) BEIJING : Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing today, where he said resources trade, energy transition and security tensions would be key topics for discussion. Albanese is due to meet Xi ahead of an annual leaders' dialogue with Li, and later attend a meeting of business leaders from both countries at the Great Hall of the People in the Chinese capital. Albanese said yesterday that he looked forward to a 'constructive dialogue' with the Chinese leaders. Australia, which regards the US as its major security ally, has pursued a China policy of 'cooperate where we can, disagree where we must' under Albanese. China, meanwhile, is trying to capitalise on US President Donald Trump's sweeping trade tariffs by presenting itself as a stable and reliable partner. Chinese officials have expressed interest in expanding a decade-old free trade deal and cooperating in areas like artificial intelligence. The state-owned China Daily published a glowing opinion piece about Albanese's visit in today's paper and said it showed countries with different political systems could still cooperate. However, any cooperation is likely to be constrained by long-standing Australian concerns around China's military build-up and the jailing of Australian writer Yang Hengjun. Beijing has also separately criticised Canberra's increased screening of foreign investment in critical minerals and Albanese's pledge to return a Chinese-leased port to Australian ownership. Australia's exports to China, its largest trading partner, span agriculture and energy but are dominated by iron ore, and Albanese has travelled with executives from mining giants Rio Tinto, BHP, and Fortescue, who met Chinese steel industry officials yesterday, at the start of the six-day visit. Bran Black, CEO of the Business Council of Australia, said Australia's Bluescope Steel would also be at today's business roundtable, along with China's electric vehicle giant BYD, Chinese banking executives, Baosteel and state-run food group 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 today.
Russia Today
3 days ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Russia-US talks to continue despite efforts to derail them
Russia will continue to engage in constructive dialogue with the US despite recent tensions and efforts to disrupt bilateral ties, presidential envoy and the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev, has said. Dmitriev has been a prominent participant in Moscow's contacts with Washington. He was part of the Russian delegation that held meetings with US officials during previous rounds of dialogue under the administration of President Donald Trump. In a Telegram post on Monday, Dmitriev insisted that 'constructive dialogue between Russia and the US is more effective than deliberately doomed attempts at pressure.' He argued that the approach of former US President Joe Biden's administration had failed and was 'proven ineffective.' Dmitriev also noted that talks between the two countries would continue regardless of 'titanic efforts' to undermine them. He did not elaborate which specific efforts he was referring to. The Russian official stressed that mutual respect, realism, and economic cooperation are 'the foundation of global security and a sustainable world.' Since returning to office, Trump has broken from his predecessor's policy of attempting to isolate Russia. He has re-established communications with Moscow and has held several phone calls with President Vladimir Putin. Recently, however, Trump has expressed growing frustration over stalled Ukraine negotiations and has hinted at a potential policy shift on Russia. Last week, Trump said he would make an 'important announcement' on Monday regarding US-Russia relations. He has also recently pledged additional support to Kiev, including Patriots – without clarifying whether he was speaking about air defense systems or ammunition for them. US Senator Lindsey Graham has said the upcoming announcement will be 'very aggressive' and may involve offensive arms deliveries or new sanctions. He has also stated that the US Senate is looking to pass a sanctions bill that would allow Washington to impose 500% tariffs on nations that continue to trade with Russia. The bill would give Trump a 'sledgehammer' to use against Moscow, the hawkish senator said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Russia is 'carefully recording all the nuances' in Trump's statements and is awaiting the announcement to 'understand what President Trump meant.'
