Latest signs of China-Australia "thawing" ties make headlines on Aussie major media

Photo taken on Dec. 22, 2016, shows the morning scenery of the Tiananmen Square in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Li He)

Australian business delegation's visit to China sends a clear signal to China's business community that Australian business is looking to collaborate on the many new trade and investment opportunity areas on a shared path to net zero, said ACBC National President David Olsson.

SYDNEY, April 19 (Xinhua) -- With several state premiers and a business delegation announcing their visits to China, mainstream media in Australia have been paying close attention to the fresh progress in the diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Australian Financial Review (AFR) reported on Sunday that a group of 15 senior Australian company executives and local government officials will travel to China for a six-day visit, which will be "the first industry delegation to visit the country for three years."

From April 23, representatives from HSBC Australia, Telstra, ANZ Banking Group, Rio Tinto, Cochlear, Fortescue, King and Wood Mallesons, etc. will explore the industrial and commercial hubs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Tianjin and Shenzhen, and also walk into Tsinghua University.

"While other Australian business leaders have visited China in the past month, the trip organized by the Australia China Business Council (ACBC) is the first official delegation to visit China with the backing of the federal government. It is the latest sign of thawing diplomatic relations between Beijing and Canberra," the report wrote.

ACBC National President David Olsson told AFR that this is an opportunity for the Australian industry to hear first-hand through private briefings and site visits, the opportunities arising from China's new high-quality growth agenda.

"Second, it sends a clear signal to China's business community that Australian business is looking to collaborate on the many new trade and investment opportunity areas on our shared path to net zero," Olsson added.

Aerial photo taken on Sept. 9, 2021, shows Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Hu Jingchen/Xinhua)

From March to April, premiers in the Australian states of Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia revealed to the public their plans to visit China, with two of them having already carried them out.

After a four-day visit, Victoria state's Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters that the state's relationship with China is "deeper than just trade," and it's a "partnership built on respect, trust and friendship, and one that benefits all Victorians in every sector."

"After more than three years, we've met with Chinese leaders in sister provinces that are home to more than 170 million people, sending a message to China that Victoria is a fantastic place for Chinese people to visit and study," said Andrews.

Following in the footsteps of their Victorian counterpart, Queensland's Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is having a plan underway, with her office confirming that she may visit China in November, while Western Australia's Premier Mark McGowan is currently traveling in China for his first visit in four years.

During an event hosted by the National Press Club of Australia on Monday, an ABC (the Australian Broadcast Corporation) journalist questioned Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong about the state leaders' China trips.

Wong replied that there have been more engagements not just from premiers but from the business community. "We think it is a good thing that we are engaging," said Wong.

Besides, local media also focused on the attendance of Australia's Assistant Trade Minister Tim Ayres at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2023.

A report from the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) mentioned that Ayres is the first Australian minister to attend the forum in more than half a decade and he said it was another positive step in the thawing relationship.