Australia’s Albanese, China’s Li hold ‘candid’ talks

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chinese Premier Li Qiang met on Monday in the first visit to the country by a Chinese premier in seven
years, with trade ties, regional security and a jailed Australian writer on the host’s agenda.
The visit by Li, China’s top-ranked official after President Xi Jinping, marks a stabilisation in relations between the U.S. security ally and the world’s second-biggest economy, after a frosty period of Beijing blocking $20 billion in Australian exports and friction over defence encounters.
“Engagement is important and necessary to manage some of the serious challenges that we have, as well as looking to cooperation,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a radio interview on Monday.
Australia and the United States worked through the QUAD partnership with Japan and India, and the AUKUS defence agreement with Britain, to “ensure we have a safer and more stable region”, she said.