Premier's 3-nation trip set to boost ties

Premier Li Qiang will make official visits to New Zealand, Australia, and Malaysia starting on Thursday, a significant diplomatic move that analysts said highlights China's efforts to further strengthen its relations with countries in the Asia-Pacific region amid rising economic and security challenges.

China hopes that the premier's visits, scheduled to run until June 20, will help enhance mutual understanding and trust and deepen pragmatic cooperation with the three countries, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a regular news conference on Tuesday in Beijing.

Lin said that during Li's visit to New Zealand, he will meet with Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro and have talks with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to exchange views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common concern.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and New Zealand, and Beijing considers Wellington to be an important partner, he said.

China is New Zealand's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade worth almost NZ$38 billion ($23.28 billion) last year. Luxon said in a statement on Monday that Premier Li's visit is a valuable opportunity for exchanges in areas of cooperation between New Zealand and China.

"New Zealand and China engage where we have shared interests, and we speak frankly and constructively with each other where we have differences. Our relationship is significant, complex, and resilient," Luxon said.

"The challenging global outlook makes it vital that we are sharing perspectives and engaging China on key issues that matter to New Zealand."

While in Australia, Li will co-chair the ninth China-Australia Annual Leaders' Meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra, and engage with people from various sectors of the country, Lin said. They will also engage with Chinese and Australian business leaders at the seventh China-Australia CEO Roundtable, he added.

The spokesman expressed China's willingness to work with Australia to jointly build a more mature, stable, and productive comprehensive strategic partnership.

China has been Australia's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years. In 2023, China bought A$219 billion ($144.35 billion) of Australian exports, accounting for 32.5 percent of Australia's total exports, according to statistics from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Chinese investment in Australia reached almost A$88 billion by the end of last year.

However, bilateral relations were severely damaged due to the negative policies adopted by the previous Australian government toward China. The two countries have broken the ice since Albanese assumed office in 2022.

Li's visit follows Albanese's visit to China in November when leaders of the two countries agreed to resume key bilateral dialogues and further cooperation in various fields. Over the past months, China has lifted trade curbs on Australian imports including wine, barley, beef, and timber.

Speaking at a news conference at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday, Albanese said that Li's visit to Australia will be the first by a Chinese premier since 2017 and "represents another important step in stabilizing our relationship with China".

"Premier Li Qiang's visit to Australia is an important opportunity to engage directly on key issues for both our nations," he said. "Australia continues to pursue a stable and direct relationship with China, with dialogue at its core."

On China-Malaysia relations, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin said that China and Malaysia are traditionally friendly neighbors across the sea.

Both of them are developing countries in Asia and emerging economies, and they actively advocate Asian values of peace, cooperation, inclusiveness, and integration, making important contributions to regional peace, prosperity, and stability, he said.

During the visit to Malaysia, Li will meet with the Southeast Asian country's King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and hold talks with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Lin said. Li and Anwar will jointly attend the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia.

China looks forward to using this visit as an opportunity to enhance and expand cooperation in various fields with Malaysia, deepen the China-Malaysia community with a shared future, and work together to create a more brilliant bilateral relationship for the next 50 years, Lin added.