Xi Jinping to Australian Prime Minister: "We Must Guard Against and Oppose Attempts to Disrupt the Asia-Pacific Region"

Chinese President Xi Jinping said during a summit meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the 6th, "China and Australia must be vigilant and oppose any attempts to throw the Asia-Pacific region into chaos."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Major foreign media outlets reported, citing Chinese state media, that President Xi made these remarks during a meeting with Prime Minister Albanese, who was visiting Beijing's Great Hall of the People.

According to the reports, President Xi told Prime Minister Albanese, "Your visit is very important as it is based on the past and leads to the future," adding, "A sound and stable China-Australia relationship benefits the shared interests of both countries."

He also stated, "It is important to continue developing a comprehensive and strategic partnership between the two countries," and "China and Australia should promote mutual understanding and trust in peaceful coexistence and fully utilize the potential of the free trade agreement between the two countries."

Furthermore, he said, "China is willing to participate with Australia in more trilateral and multilateral cooperation to support Pacific Island countries," and reiterated, "China and Australia must be vigilant and oppose any attempts to throw the Asia-Pacific region into chaos."

According to the Australian Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister Albanese said in his opening remarks at the meeting, "Australia, along with other countries in the region, is interested in the continued stable growth of the Chinese economy and ongoing exchanges with the world," adding, "A strong relationship between our two countries will be beneficial in the future." He also emphasized, "It is important that we communicate where differences arise."

At a press conference following the meeting, Prime Minister Albanese said, "During the meeting with President Xi, the agenda included the need for peace and stability in the region, as well as global conflicts such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and issues in the Middle East." He added, "I spoke about guardrails and military cooperation between the U.S. and China, and that is important."

Prime Minister Albanese also stated, "The so-called 14 grievances that China has against Australia were not raised during the meeting," and "I leave satisfied that Australia and China maintain a positive relationship."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Albanese became the first Australian prime minister to visit China since 2016. He attended the 6th China International Import Expo held in Shanghai the previous day and is scheduled to return home on the 7th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.