The quarrel between Australia and China is about to be settled. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Monday that he would meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit for the first time in several years.
“Tomorrow (Tuesday) I will have a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi,” Anthony Albanese told reporters after landing on the Indonesian island of Bali where the summit of leaders of major world economies is being held. “We approach these discussions with good will. There are no preconditions and we hope to have a constructive dialogue,” the Australian official continued.
A brief informal exchange in 2019
The Australian and Chinese leaders had a brief exchange in 2019 during a G20 summit in Japan, but no formal talks for five years. After a long cold period, caused by Beijing’s ambitions in the Pacific and the arrests of Australians in China, the two countries resumed relations between ministers in June.
The Chinese leader, at the height of his power after seeing his third term confirmed, is also meeting Joe Biden on Monday for long-awaited talks. Washington wants to establish “red lines” between the two countries to prevent their rivalry from tipping into conflict.