Albanese's Beijing Trip Reflects New Realities Shaping Aussie Ties With China and US

Visit focused on trade and investment while keeping in mind security alliance with US

- Lim Min Zhang

SYDNEY/BEIJING — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has faced intense pressure in recent months to meet US President Donald Trump to discuss tariffs and the fate of a deal to supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.

Though he has yet to secure a meeting with President Trump, Mr Albanese jetted to China this week and met Chinese President Xi Jinping on July 15, in what is the Australian leader's longest single-country visit since taking office in 2022.

The six-day trip to China — from July 12 to 18 — does not indicate that he has suddenly decided to pursue closer relations with Australia's largest trading partner at the expense of ties with the US, Australia's closest security ally.

Indeed, he did not shy away from discussing differences during his meeting with Mr Xi. Mr Albanese said he raised concerns about China's lack of notice before holding live-fire drills off the Australian coast in February, and about the fate of Chinese-Australian Yang Hengjun, a pro-democracy writer detained in China on espionage charges.

But Mr Albanese's trip reflects two new realities shaping his approach to navigating ties with the US and China.

First, his stunning re-election in May with an increased parliamentary majority for the ruling Labor Party has boosted his political stature — a change visible in his relaxed manner during his waterfront stroll in Shanghai this week and his meetings with Chinese officials. This confidence — and Labor's strong position in the polls — has allowed him to trust his political instincts and ignore criticism from the opposition, which accused him ahead of the trip of prioritizing China over the US.

The other reality is that Mr Albanese has helped to stabilize ties with China, which has lifted the trade sanctions imposed following tensions over issues such as Canberra's calls for an inquiry into the origins of Covid-19.