Australia’s Albanese eyes ‘terrific’ end of Chinese curbs on imports as bilateral ties thaw after release of journalist

He added China benefited from receiving “our wonderful” rock lobsters from Western Australia.

“It would be terrific if they were allowed back in and the impediments removed. Wine, those impediments need to be removed as well,” he said.

Diplomatic exchanges have gathered pace after Albanese’s Labor government took office in May 2022, and since then China has scrapped restrictions on some Australian goods and resumed coal imports.

However, bans on products such as wine and lobsters remain. Bilateral trade between the countries stood at US$191 billion in 2022.

Albanese, who plans to visit Beijing by the end of this year, said he would focus on stabilising relationships with the economic giant but Australia will “disagree where we must, and engage in our national interest”.

The trip is scheduled to mark 50 years since the first visit of an Australian leader to China in 1973.

“When people are not talking to each other, then you can have real issues arise, which are much more easily dealt with in a rational way by people just talking with each other,” the 6PR radio station quoted him as saying.

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China and Australia hold high-level talks after 3-year break

China and Australia hold high-level talks after 3-year break

Xiao Qian, China’s envoy to Australia, said the common ground between the two countries would provide an impetus to bring relations back to normal.

“We want to move beyond stabilisation, and to further improve our relationship,” Xiao said on Wednesday as Albanese announced Cheng was back in Australia after being held on espionage charges since August 2020.

“Her return brings an end to a very difficult few years,” he said.

“Hello, prime minister. It’s because of you and all the team at DFAT that I’m able to make it here in one piece,” Cheng said in a video recording released by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

China’s ministry of state security said the former anchor for Chinese state broadcaster CGTN had been deported “after serving her sentence”.

Albanese had raised the 48-year-old’s detention with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang during meetings held in recent months.