Australian PM Reaffirms One China Policy During Historic Great Wall Visit Following Intensive Beijing Talks
Australian PM Reaffirms One China Policy During Historic Great Wall Visit Following Intensive Beijing Talks
BEIJING - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reaffirmed Australia's longstanding One China policy during a symbolic visit to the Great Wall of China Wednesday, following more than eight hours of meetings with Chinese leadership that addressed trade, regional security and contentious bilateral issues.
Speaking from the ancient fortification built in 1505, Albanese confirmed Australia's bipartisan position supporting the One China policy while declining to detail specific discussions about Taiwan with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang during Tuesday's marathon diplomatic sessions.
"I agree that Australia has had a long-standing bipartisan position that has supported the one China policy," Albanese said when asked about Chinese readouts of his meetings. "That is our position. And that's been the position of governments for a long period of time in Australia, and it's still the bipartisan position in Australia."
The visit marks the first time an Australian prime minister has stood at the Great Wall since Gough Whitlam's groundbreaking 1973 trip that established formal diplomatic relations between the nations. Albanese explicitly invoked Whitlam's legacy during his remarks.
Intensive Diplomatic Engagement
Albanese spent more than two hours each with President Xi and Premier Li on Tuesday, plus meetings with National People's Congress Chairman Zhao Leji, who agreed to lead a delegation to Australia to reciprocate a recent Australian parliamentary visit to China.
"Yesterday was an opportunity as well for us to develop the relationship between Australia and China," Albanese said. "I've said consistently that we'll cooperate where we can, disagree where we must, but engage in our national interest."
The prime minister described the meetings as showing "respect both sides," noting that President Xi invited Albanese's wife Jodie to attend lunch, which he characterized as "a sign of respect to Australia, to our country."
Chinese officials organized an elaborate dinner featuring Australian music, with a band performing songs by Paul Kelly, Midnight Oil and Powderfinger for the visiting delegation.
"That obviously took them a long period of time. And those gestures matter. Respect matters between countries. And I think I took that as being a very warm gesture indeed," Albanese said.
Trade Relationship Central Focus
The economic relationship dominated discussions, with Albanese emphasizing that China remains Australia's largest trading partner by a significant margin and that one in four Australian jobs depends on trade.
"That is a relationship that is built upon the fact that one in four of Australian jobs is trade dependent and our largest trading partner by a long distance is China," Albanese said.
Tuesday's business roundtable included representatives from major Australian institutions including ANZ bank, Monash University, the University of New South Wales, and resource giants BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals, alongside Chinese counterparts.
The roundtable produced "practical initiatives going forward, including further work on steel decarbonisation between Australian businesses and Chinese businesses," according to Albanese.
Premier Li raised concerns about protectionist measures globally and discussed deepening Australia-China cooperation, including previously sensitive areas that had been considered off-limits in the relationship.
Port of Darwin Not Raised
Significantly, Albanese confirmed that neither Xi nor Li raised Australia's election commitment to return the Port of Darwin to Australian ownership, despite Chinese state media warnings about potential retaliation over the issue.
"The answer is no," Albanese said when asked if the port came up in discussions. "And the answer as well, that shouldn't come as any surprise. I've had the same position as when I was the shadow infrastructure minister, when the decision was made to provide a federal incentive by the Liberal Party to flog off the port of Darwin."
The port was leased to Chinese company Landbridge Group in 2015 under the previous Coalition government, a decision both major Australian parties have committed to reversing.
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Taiwan and Regional Security
On Taiwan, Albanese maintained Australia's traditional position while declining to confirm specific language used in his discussions with Chinese leaders.
"We support the status quo. By definition, we don't support any unilateral action on Taiwan," Albanese said. "That's been our position for a long period of time. Nothing's different there."
When pressed about Chinese readouts claiming he opposed Taiwanese independence, Albanese responded: "You're trying to quote a Chinese readout that I haven't seen."
The prime minister addressed questions about regional security amid ongoing conflicts, particularly regarding Ukraine, where Australia maintains strong support despite China's relationship with Russia.
"We have a range of conflicts in the world, too many. And what we need to do is to have less conflict, not more," Albanese said. "Our position on Ukraine is consistent, is clear, is advocated publicly and privately."
Investment and Economic Cooperation
Albanese addressed declining Chinese investment in Australia, emphasizing that foreign investment decisions are made on a case-by-case basis regardless of country of origin.
"We have a case-by-case issue when it comes to foreign investment. It is viewed not on the basis of any one country, but on the basis of an objective assessment of our national interest," he said.
Premier Li raised concerns about Chinese companies being treated fairly in Australia and questioned foreign investment restrictions, according to participants in Tuesday's discussions.
Albanese noted that existing LNG contracts with China would not be affected by government policy, emphasizing Australia doesn't interfere with sovereign commercial arrangements.
Historical Significance
Standing at the Great Wall, Albanese drew explicit parallels to Whitlam's pioneering diplomacy that recognized the People's Republic of China in 1971, two years before becoming prime minister.
"There is no question that Gough Whitlam made the right decision in 1971 and that Australia has benefited from that," Albanese said. "It certainly is understood here in China that that was an early decision and was a decision that took courage."
The 1971 recognition preceded even the United States' engagement with China under Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, giving Australia an early foothold in the relationship.
"We are literally standing on history. History in recognition of the longevity of Chinese culture and Chinese achievement as well," Albanese said of the Great Wall visit.
Defense Spending Questioned
When asked to justify Australia's $360 billion nuclear submarine program given apparent diplomatic progress with China, Albanese defended the investment.
"We are investing in our capability and we're investing in our relationships," he said. "We need a defence force. And we make no apologies for investing in our capability to give Australia the defence and security assets that we need."
Broader Diplomatic Strategy
Albanese positioned the China visit within broader diplomatic engagement, noting upcoming summit seasons where Australia and China will both participate.
"One of the things that my government does is engage in diplomacy. We don't shout with megaphones, we engage in diplomacy. That is in Australia's interest," he said.
The prime minister emphasized Australia's support for free and fair trade as fundamental to the relationship, stating: "I say the same thing in Beijing as I say in Bankstown, which is that the Australian government supports free and fair trade."
Future Engagement
Looking ahead, Albanese indicated continued engagement throughout the year's summit season, including G20, APEC and Quad meetings where both nations will be represented.
The visit concludes a significant diplomatic initiative aimed at stabilizing Australia-China relations after several years of tensions over trade disputes, security concerns and human rights issues.
"What's important is that we're able to talk about those differences, to talk about them wisely and to acknowledge that they're there but to not allow those differences to define us," Albanese said, referring to political system differences between the nations.
The China visit represents Albanese's second trip to the country as prime minister, compared to five visits to the United States, a balance he noted follows historical precedent set by previous Australian leaders including Tony Abbott, Malcolm Fraser and Kevin Rudd, who all visited Beijing before Washington after taking office.
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