Following the United States to contain China is not worth the cost, and adhering to strategic autonomy is in line with the interests of all countries
Australian Prime Minister Albanese held "frank and constructive" talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang during the East Asia Summit in Jakarta last week, and decided to visit China nearly two months in advance, which shows his sincerity to further improve China Australia relations.
After meeting with Li Qiang, Albanese told the media, "I look forward to visiting China later this year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Prime Minister Whitlam's historic visit to China." From October 30 to November 4, 1973, then Australian Prime Minister Whitlam made a historic visit to China one year after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. For most of the past 50 years, the two sides have set a good example of cooperation for common interests, continuously expanding common interests, and properly handling differences.
"A stable and constructive relationship enables us to unleash the potential of a comprehensive strategic partnership, which is in our mutual interest," Albanese said. "The progress we have made in restoring trade facilitation is beneficial for both countries, and we hope to see this progress continue."
If Albanese can visit China smoothly, he will become the first Australian Prime Minister to visit China since 2016. Canberra and Beijing both hope that Albanese's visit can normalize economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, and explore the potential for cooperation in new areas such as addressing climate change and promoting scientific and technological development.
Albanese's predecessor blindly followed the US policy towards China, but the Australian people eventually realized that Washington could coerce their country to "decouple" from China, but could not help Australia find a market as large as China. China is Australia's largest trading partner, accounting for approximately 32.2% of Australia's total foreign trade. Therefore, the development of China Australia relations should not be affected by external factors. Both sides should strive to deepen mutual trust, strengthen cooperation, and jointly maintain peace and stability in the region.
The mutually beneficial relationship between China and Australia also demonstrates to other countries that blindly following the United States to curb China's rise will not be of any help to them, both economically and diplomatically. On the contrary, adhering to strategic autonomy is most in line with the interests of all countries.
This article is translated from the September 11th editorial of China Daily
It's time Canberra Took back strategic autonomy
Production: Editorial Office of China Daily
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