China President Xi Jinping welcomes Anthony Albanese to his country

China’s President Xi Jinping has told Anthony Albanese their two countries’ relationship “has embarked on the right path of improvement” as he welcomed the Prime Minister to Beijing.

China’s President Xi Jinping has told Anthony Albanese their two countries’ relationship “has embarked on the right path of improvement,” and is at a “new starting point” as he welcomed the Prime Minister to Beijing.

Greeting him in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing ahead of private talks, China’s paramount leader praised Mr Albanese for “working to stabilise and improve relations with China” since taking office last year.

He said the Prime Minister’s visit, the first by an Australian leader since 2016 was “highly significant as it builds on the past and ushers in the future.”

Mr Albanese’s visit to China has been timed to coincide with Gough Whitlam’s 1973 visit after he moved to recognise the People’s Republic as the official government of China.

Whitlam’s visit has been a constant theme of the Prime Minister’s since he arrived in China on Saturday, including retracing the Labor PM’s visit to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven on Monday morning.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Picture: Twitter

Leaning into the nostalgia theme of the visit, a smiling President Xi said that “in China we say when drinking water we should not forget those who dug the well” and the Chinese people “will not forget Prime Minister Whitlam for digging the well for us.”

In reply Mr Albanese told his host that progress on improving the relationship had been made since the pair first met in Bali last year.

“Trade is flowing more freely to the benefit of both countries,” he said.

“We’ve started a range of dialogues and the tempo of bilateral visits is increasing.”

Mr Albanese told the Chinese leader “there is so much we can do together - including to address shared challenges such as climate change and environmental management.”

He also said “there will be differences, but these will need to be navigated wisely and with respect.”

Mr Albanese was joined in the meeting by Foreign Affairs Minister Penny who earlier in the day had accompanied him on his tour of the Temple of Heaven as they retraced Whitlam’s steps.

They were accompanied by China’s ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian, who showed his knowledge of the significance of the site for Labor history by telling the PM where to stand to recreate photos taken of Whitlam when he visited the temple back in 1973.

But despite speculation he was keen to reproduce a famous picture of Whitlam with his ear to the whispering wall listening to the echo – which would have required him to stop over a guardrail built in the intervening yeast – the PM declined an offer from his hosts.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

His trip was almost 50 years to the day of Whitlam’s.

Mr Albanese told reporters said the visit had “been an opportunity to retrace history. The Labor Party does care about our history and Australia cares about our history as well”.

Asked ahead of their meeting if he trusted Mr Xi, the PM gave a neutral answer.

“I’m convinced that we’re building a relationship that’s a constructive one, where we’re able to talk with each other directly, and in the discussions that I have had with him, the formal discussion, but the other discussions as well, they have been positive and respectful,” he said.

Mr Albanese said Australia and China had different political systems but the engagement he had had with China with President Xi had been positive..

“They have been constructive. He has never said anything to me that has not been done and that’s a positive way that you have to start off dealing with people,” he said.

“But we recognise, as well, that we come with different political systems, very different values arising from that and different histories. But we deal with each other on face value. And we deal with each other representing. My job is to represent Australia’s national interests. He is the leader of a different nation with different interests.”

Originally published as China President Xi Jinping welcomes Anthony Albanese to his country