Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters on Saturday that Australia will focus on restoring its trade relations with China as part of negotiations to lift the veto on Australian coal imports.
«China is our main trading partner, and we have worked to change the relationship,» the prime minister responded during a press conference in Townsville, in the state of Queensland, when asked about the negotiations on the veto on Australian coal and the impact of this fact on the Australian economy.
«We believe that both countries have an interest in continuing to develop more positive relations,» Albanese added.
These statements come after Australia closed several coal import deals to China, following the relaxation of the informal ban on shipments from the oceanic country, measures imposed in 2020 after the estrangement of both nations over issues such as the origin of the coronavirus pandemic, as reported by ‘Bloomberg’.
However, other measures continue to disrupt trade between the two countries in other types of products, such as wine or timber.
«It is in Australia’s interest to be able to export unimpeded to China. But it is also in China’s interest to receive those exports from Australia,» Albanese told reporters.
According to the Prime Minister, since the election of the Labor government in May, relations have stabilized and the two leaders have met for the first time in years: «I had a positive meeting with President Xi at the end of last year. And Senator Wong’s visit as Foreign Minister to mark the 50th anniversary of Australia-PRC relations on December 21 was a positive development,» Albanese stressed.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
