CANBERRA, Australia (AP) 鈥� Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday he would ask Chinese President Xi Jinping to lift billions of dollars in trade barriers in the event that the two leaders hold their first bilateral meeting.
Both leaders will attend a Group of 20 meeting in Indonesia and then an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum meeting in Thailand next week.
Albanese was speaking in Sydney before departing Australia on Friday for an East Asia Summit in Cambodia, which Xi will not attend.
A face-to-face meeting between the Chinese and Australian leaders would mark a major reset in a bilateral relationship that plumbed new depths under the nine-year rule of Australia鈥檚 previous conservative government.
Beijing had banned minister-to-minister contacts and imposed a series of official and unofficial trade barriers on products including wine, coal, beef, seafood and barley in recent years that cost Australian exporters 20 billion Australian dollars ($13 billion) a year.
Albanese said a meeting with Xi was 鈥渘ot locked in at this point in time.鈥�
鈥淲e obviously will be attending the same conferences, or at least two of them (G-20 and APEC) over the next nine days. And I would welcome a meeting if it occurs over that time,鈥� Albanese said.
Xi had bilateral meetings scheduled with U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Senegalese President Macky Sall, Argentine President Alberto Fern谩ndez as well as the two summit hosts, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Friday in Beijing.
will be their first face-to-face meeting since the Amercian became president in January 2021, the White House confirmed.
While Albanese was not mentioned, Zhao said with world leaders 鈥渦pon request.鈥�
Albanese said China lifting economic sanctions was his first priority in returning to normal relations.
鈥淲e have some AU$20 billion of economic sanctions against Australia. That is not in Australia鈥檚 interest in terms of our jobs and the economy, but it鈥檚 also not in China鈥檚 interest,鈥� Albanese said.
鈥淎ustralia has world class products 鈥� in seafood, in meat, in wine, in other products that we export to China. It鈥檚 in China鈥檚 interest to receive those products, it鈥檚 in Australia鈥檚 interest to export them. So I鈥檓 very hopeful 鈥� we鈥檒l continue to put our case that these sanctions are not justified, that they need to be removed,鈥� Albanese added.
Asked what China wanted from Australia to improve relations, Albanese replied: 鈥淚t鈥檚 not up to me to put forward their case.鈥�
鈥淲hat I want to see with the relationship with China is cooperation where we ... maintain our Australian values where we must,鈥� Albanese said.
Bilateral relations soured over issues including Australian demands for an independent inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic, a ban on Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei鈥檚 involvement in the Australian 5G networks on security grounds and recent laws that ban covert foreign interference in domestic politics.
China鈥檚 Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian said in August that Beijing would discuss with Australia whether conditions were right in November for Albanese to meet Xi during the G-20 summit.
China鈥檚 People鈥檚 Daily English-language newspaper reported this week that 鈥渟igns of resetting bilateral ties have emerged鈥� since Albanese鈥檚 center-left Labor Party came to power in May.
The meeting would come as competition for influence among South Pacific island nations heightens between China and the United States, with its allies including Australia, since Beijing struck a security pact with the Solomon Islands early this year that has raised fears of a Chinese naval base being established in the region.
Albanese said Australia has 鈥渟trategic competition in the region鈥� with China.
鈥淐hina, of course, has changed its position. And it is much more forward-leaning than it was in the past,鈥� Albanese said.
鈥淭hat has caused tensions in the relationship, and we need to acknowledge that that鈥檚 the context in which the relationship exists,鈥� he added.
Rod Mcguirk, The Associated Press
