Australian PM Says No Preconditions on Possible Diplomatic Talks With Beijing

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese holds a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Oct. 18, 2022. (Martin Ollman/Getty Images)

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says there will be no preconditions for a meeting with Chinese officials while noting ongoing problems with Beijing’s trade sanctions against Australian goods.

Speaking at a press conference in Sydney on Oct. 11, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia welcomed any exchange with China.

“What I’ve said about China is that we want to cooperate where we can, but we will stand up for Australian values where we must. We welcome any dialogue because out of dialogue comes understanding and mutual respect,” Albanese said.

“But we will enter any discussions that take place without any preconditions. Dialogue is a good thing if it occurs. If not, well, we'll be having, of course, some multilateral participation in the forums that will take place over the next nine days.”

At present, there is no confirmed meeting between Australian and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders. The last official bilateral meeting was held in 2016.

The prime minister also noted that he would continue to push Beijing on its $20 billion economic trade war on Australian goods.

“Quite clearly, there have been issues with the relationship. We have some $20 billion of economic sanctions against Australia that is not in Australia’s interest in terms of our jobs and the economy, but it’s also not in China’s interest,” Albanese said.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attends a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (not in picture), at the Akasaka Palace state guest house in Tokyo, Japan, on May 24, 2022. (Pool/Getty Images)

“Australia has world-class products—in seafood, in meat, in wine, in other products that we export to China. It’s in China’s interest to receive those products; it’s in Australia’s interest to export them.

“So I’m very hopeful we'll continue to put our case that these sanctions are not justified, that they need to be removed.”

At present, the CCP has placed economic sanctions on eight export products, including beef, lamb, seafood, timber, honey, wine, and coal, after the former Australian government called for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19.

Albanese’s comments come as he heads for a nine-day overseas trip to attend international summits in Asia, including the B20, G20, APEC, ASEAN-Australia, and East Asia Summit.

READ MORE

• Australian Prime Minister Open to Dialogue With Chinese Leaders

Meanwhile, Beijing has yet to confirm if Chinese leader Xi Jinping will attend the G20 in Bali, Indonesia.

Yet the Biden administration has indicated that U.S. President Joe Biden will be meeting with Xi next week.