Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chinese Premier Li Qiang stressed the importance of managing bilateral differences through dialogue after talks in Canberra on Monday amid improved ties between the two countries.
"There is much that remains to be done, but it is clear that our nations are making progress in stabilizing and rebuilding that crucial dialogue," Albanese said at a luncheon with Li following their talks, which both described as "candid."
Li's visit to Australia is the first by a Chinese premier in seven years, with bilateral ties having improved since Albanese took office in May 2022.
The relationship had deteriorated under his predecessor Scott Morrison, who had angered China by calling for an independent international investigation into the origin of COVID-19, first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
Li told reporters that he and Albanese candidly discussed issues where their governments' views diverge and agreed to "properly manage those differences in a manner consistent with the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership," according to Xinhua news agency.
In 2020, China introduced several trade restrictions on Australian goods, but the majority of them have been lifted. It still maintains its ban on imports of Australian lobsters and beef from two producers.
Albanese visited China in November last year as the first leader from the Pacific nation to visit the Asian country in seven years and met with President Xi Jinping, its top leader.
Among the contentious bilateral issues is the detention of Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun, who was arrested in China on espionage charges in 2019 and was given a suspended death sentence by a Beijing court in February.
