Anthony Albanese likens China meeting to ‘Cold War’ dialogue

Anthony Albanese is on his way to a major international summit where he will meet China’s No.2 for “constructive and deliberate” talks.

Anthony Albanese has likened his upcoming meeting with China’s premier to “Cold War” diplomacy.

The Prime Minister will meet the Chinese Communist Party’s No.2, Li Qiang, on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.

Ahead of his departure on Wednesday, Mr Albanese said his talks with the Chinese Premier would be “constructive and deliberate”.

“We have been working on the relationship, agreeing where we can and co-operating where we can, disagreeing where we must,” he told Sky News.

“It’s important that we’re able to discuss that in a professional and clear and direct way.”

Australia-China relations have been tested in recent years by trade tensions and competing bids for regional influence.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang (left) will meet with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

It has played out against a backdrop of increasing military posturing between Canberra and Beijing, with Australia forming the AUKUS security pact with the US and the UK, and China, most recently, carrying out its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test in decades.

Since coming to power, the Albanese government has pursued so-called trade normalisation while joining multilateral efforts to curb China’s ambitions in the Asia-Pacific region.

Mr Albanese said the strategy had resulted in an extra $20bn of Australian exports heading to “our largest trading partner”.

“We do have strategic competition in the region and it’s important, though, that dialogue occurred when there was disagreement in the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union,” he said.

“There were always channels of communication, and that is important. That’s why Jim Chalmers’ visit was important.”

The federal Treasurer visited Beijing last month the day after China test fired its ICBM, the first such launch in more than 40 years.

Mr Chalmers said at the time he raised the missile launch with his Chinese government counterparts.

Following the missile launch, Australian and New Zealand warships navigated the strait between China and the island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own.

Mr Albanese earlier said the recently elected Taiwanese premier Cho Jung-tai would be among the foreign leaders he was meeting at the ASEAN summit.

His meeting with Mr Li follows the Chinese Premier’s visit to Australia in June.