Australian Prime Minister visits China

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese begins a visit to China on Saturday, with the aim of deepening recently stabilised trade relations despite ongoing bilateral tensions.

Disagreements between Canberra and Beijing have been numerous over the past decade, ranging from national security to competing interests in the wider Pacific region.

But the situation eased in December when China lifted a ban on imports of Australian lobsters, the last remnant of a trade war that erupted in 2017 when ties were at their weakest.

Mr. Albanese, who is on his second visit to China as prime minister, said all issues would be discussed with officials in Beijing, including President Xi Jinping.

"We cooperate where we can, we disagree where we must, and we are able to have honest conversations about those disagreements," he told reporters before his departure.

For its part, Chinese diplomacy stressed that bilateral relations "continue to improve and grow."

Anthony Albanese is scheduled to visit Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu during the visit, which is scheduled to last until Friday.

It comes as US President Donald Trump is reshuffling the cards of global trade with his massive customs duties, sowing doubt among his allies who might be forced to diversify their partnerships.

Despite some rapprochements, Australia is showing caution: in February, it announced that it was banning tools from the Chinese artificial intelligence start-up Deepseek from government devices, citing data security concerns.

Another stumbling block is the Australian port of Darwin, currently operated by a Chinese company, which the Australian government has pledged to take over.

China nevertheless remains one of Australia's main trading partners, accounting for almost a third of trade.