Albanese hits back at claims of ‘indulgent’ China trip, saying it will reap rewards

Australia will reap economic rewards from showing respect for China, the prime minister has declared, shrugging off barbs from the Coalition that stops he made on his week-long trip to visit soccer coaches, historical landmarks and a tennis centre were self-indulgent.

Rounding out his trip on Thursday afternoon in the western Chinese city of Chengdu, Anthony Albanese said that images of him admiring pandas and walking the Great Wall were signs of reverence for China’s history that worked as marketing to the country’s massive consumer base.

“Showing a little bit of respect to people never cost anything. But you know what it does? It gives you a reward,” Albanese said.

But the limits of Labor’s stabilisation of the relationship with China were on show on Thursday, with Albanese facing Coalition criticism that the trip had not delivered tangible benefits, such as a guarantee Australia would get more notice of Chinese military exercises in nearby waters.

Asked if he trusted President Xi Jinping following Tuesday’s talks and banquet in Beijing’s Great Hall, Albanese chose not to use the word “trust”. “Nothing that he has said to me has he not fulfilled,” Albanese said.

Chinese navy ships circumnavigated Australia in February and used live ammunition in drills in the Tasman Sea, which is permitted under international law but disrupted flights that had been given little notice of the exercises.

Trade between Australia and China has recovered since the Communist Party imposed strikes on beef, barley, lobsters and other commodities after the Morrison government criticised its assertive foreign police and handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Figures from consultancy KPMG and the University of Sydney show Chinese investment in Australia increased from $US613 million in 2023 to $US862 million in 2024, well down on the peaks of the 2010s when it was regularly above $US10 billion.

Australian Bureau of Statistics numbers show total Australian capital invested in China has fallen from $70 billion in 2021 to $58 billion this year.

Trumpeting his more than two hours of talks with Xi, Albanese flagged more two-way investment after years of falling Australian inflows into China, along with new tie-ups in green steel and tourism.

But as Albanese prepared to conclude his trip, political focus will shift swiftly from Australia’s place in the world to domestic affairs, with parliament to sit next week for the first time since the May election.

As the government spotlighted its focus on trade and tourism ties with China this week, it faced questions about how it was handling its relationship with the erratic Trump administration, which will likely be a theme of parliament next week alongside Labor’s election promises on university fee cuts and free childcare.

Contrasting his diplomatic style with that of his Coalition predecessors, Albanese said his friendlier form of engagement delivered results even when he knew the nations shared different values and political systems.

The Australian delegation met with leaders in the medical technology sector at a lunch in the province of Sichuan on Thursday, reflecting the visit’s theme of expanding economic ties.

Firms ResMed and Cochlear – members of the Australian med-tech sector, which produces the second most patents in the field after the US – are hoping better Australia-China relations will help companies tap into China’s health sector, which is expected to grow as China’s middle class becomes more health-conscious.

Albanese witnessed the implant of a cochlear implant in the ear of a young Chinese boy.
Albanese said on a tour through the firm’s Chengdu office: “It must be extraordinary to hear for the first time”.

Earlier, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and some of her MPs questioned the success of Albanese’s trip.

Speaking on Nine’s Today, Senator Bridget McKenzie expressed disappointment about a lack of progress on topics such as the Port of Darwin sale, release of Australians in Chinese prisons, and the presence of Chinese navy forces off Australian shores earlier in the year. Unlike in past years, China has not sent a vessel to monitor the 19-nation war games Australia is hosting this week.

Frontbencher James Paterson said Albanese’s visit to China was worthwhile but pandas, tennis and scaling the Great Wall were “a little bit indulgent”.

Albanese fired back at Paterson, saying he “doesn’t understand much” and arguing he should have realised that the Coalition was drubbed at the last election due to “constant negativity”.

“The opposition have got some issues they need to sort out including over their relationship with China,” Albanese said.

On Thursday morning, Albanese and fiancee Jodie Haydon visited the same Chengu breeding facility at which Bob Hawke held a panda in 1986.

Animal welfare standards now prohibit such stunts, but Albanese still leapt headlong into China’s game of panda diplomacy.

“This guy is clearly feeling the friendship between Australia and China,” he said at one enclosure. “He’s very chill.”

China has long given the cuddly black-and-white icons to nations with which China is on good diplomatic terms, sometimes taking them back when relations sour.

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