Chinese leader to meet in Bali with Biden, but Albo forced to wait his turn
Anticipation is building for a potential meeting between the leaders of Australia and China as they prepare to touch down in Indonesia, withĀ Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attending the G20 in Bali following a weekend in Phnom Penh for the East Asia and ASEAN summits.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has already confirmed a meeting in Bali with United States President Joe Biden.
But the question remains as to whether Xi and Albanese will meet.
If it goes ahead, it will be the first time in six years leaders of Australia and China have had a formal meeting.
Trade Minister Senator Don Farrell said Australia had learnt from ābitter experienceā for the need to diversify and while the relationship with China should continue, the nation needed to rely on it less.
āWhat that means is finding new markets for our goods, and ensuring that we donāt find ourselves in a situation where we were in a relationship with only one purchaser,ā he told ABC radio on Monday.
Farrell said the prime minister remained āhopefulā of securing a face-to-face meeting with Xi, and said Beijing would need to lift the trade sanctions imposed for the relationship between the two countries to normalise.
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On Australiaās challenge of those bans at the World Trade Organisation, Farrell said the government would tell the Chinese that Canberra would prefer to settle trade disputes through discussion, rather than arbitration.
On Sunday, the final day of the Cambodian summit, the prime minister had a 40-minute catch-up with Mr Biden.
The pair discussed security deals, the climate and engagement with the Pacific.
But Albanese would not reveal if the president gave him any clues about what he will discuss with Xi.
āPresident Biden can speak for himself and Iāll speak for myself on the terms in which Australia engages,ā he told reporters in Phnom Penh
ā(Australia) will engage constructively in dialogue with the countries that wish to engage with us.
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āIāve said that we should co-operate with China where we can and thatās what weāre doing.ā
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has invited Albanese to give a key note speech at the B20 meeting which brings together business and political leaders from the worldās strongest economies.
Global recovery from the pandemic and taming inflation impacting economies will be key themes of his speech.
Albanese will make a pitch to world leaders to work together in all nationsā interests by reducing tariff obstructions and increasing trade agreements.
āWe can achieve far more together than we ever will alone,ā he will say.
āRecovering stronger depends on recovering together.ā
Tackling climate change will also feature heavily during the summit.
The prime minister will urge governments and businesses to invest in clean energy sources and spruik Australiaās role in the global transition to renewables.
āWe know Australia can be a renewable energy superpower and we are working to grow our clean energy export industry,ā he will say.
āWe are committed to co-operating with other nations to help reduce their emissions, grow their economies and improve living standards.ā
Leaders will also discuss global food insecurity, worsened by Russiaās invasion of Ukraine, as well as the global response to pandemics.
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