Prime Minister Anthony Albanese lands in China's medical capital Chengdu, Port Darwin stance hangs in the air
Mr Albanese will tour a Cochlear manufacturing and research facility to showcase 'Australian ingenuity, inventiveness and know-how' as he enters the final leg of a six-day tour to turbocharge Australia's economic ties with its largest trading partner.
China is one of Cochlear's top five markets, having helped treat 50,000 Chinese patients with hearing loss, and the Sydney-based company launched its Chengdu production facility and international hearing research, innovation and service centre in 2021.
Australia is the world's second largest producer of Medtech patents, and the third largest medical device market in the Indo-Pacific, with more than 850 firms and a total market value exceeding $10.5 billion.
'Australian and Chinese researchers, hospitals and universities are driving remarkable progress in every field of medical technology,' Mr Albanese will tell a lunch reception of top healthcare and biomedical tech leaders, including Nobel Laureate Prof Barry Marshall, whose research has revolutionised the treatment of stomach ulcers.
Mr Albanese is the first Prime Minister to visit Chengdu since Bob Hawke in 1986, in a three-city tour that has been warmly received by a Chinese government pushing for closer trade ties with Australia as a buffer against the disruption of US trade tariffs.
However, clouds remain on the horizon.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Prime Minister was forced to dismiss suggestions Australian business could be iced out of the Chinese market over the Government's decision to put the strategic port of Darwin back into Australia's hands.
Chinese objections to Labor's election promise to overturn the awarding of a 99-year lease of the port to the Beijing-owned Landbridge group have loomed over Mr Albanese's red carpet reception this week, with state media repeatedly highlighting the controversy.
Mr Albanese on Wednesday confirmed that the sale of the port had not been raised directly with him in talks with Premier Li Qiang or Chinese President Xi Jinping, who offered a rare lunch invitation to the Prime Minister and fiancee Jodie Haydon.
Mr Li was effusive about the potential for stronger trade ties at a roundtable of Chinese and Australian business leaders in the imposing Great Hall of the People on Tuesday but alluded to the point of contention by urging Australia to create a 'non-discriminatory business environment.'
'We hope that the Australian side will treat Chinese enterprises visiting Australia fairly and properly solve the problems encountered by enterprises in market access, investment review, and other aspects,' Mr Li said.
The Global Times, a state-run media outlet, was more direct.
'At present, there are specific issues between China and Australia that need to be discussed, such as the lease of Darwin Port and the expansion of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement,' it said.
'There are also practical obstacles, especially the tendencies toward 'pan-politicisation' and 'pan-securitisation,' as well as interference from third parties,' it continued in an otherwise glowing account of Mr Albanese's trip so far.
Asked during a press conference on the Great Wall of China on Wednesday if he was prepared for Australia to be put back into the deep freeze on the issue, Mr Albanese responded with a straight, 'the answer is no'.
The Prime Minister's trip has been centred on repairing business and trade ties after a diplomatic spat under the Morrison government triggered a series of damaging import bans on key commodities, which have since been lifted.
Labor has stressed, however, that it will not budge over the cancelling of the Landbridge lease for national security reasons.
Mr Albanese told reporters that this was a longheld position 'shouldn't come as any surprise.'
However, Chinese officials have protested against changes made to the Foreign Investment Review Board under the previous Government after the port lease was awarded to a Chinese-state owned operator by the Northern Territory authorities.
The Government has rejected Beijing's suggestions that Chinese companies are unfairly targeted by rules requiring greater scrutiny in sensitive investment areas.
Ahead of Mr Albanese's trip, the Government indicated it would not be prepared to ease restrictions or to accede to Chinese requests for greater cooperation on artificial intelligence capabilities.
'We have a case by case issue when it comes to foreign investment,' said Mr Albanese. 'It is viewed not on the basis of any one country, but on the basis of an objective assessment of our national interest.'
He added, 'One of the things that I emphasise - I say the same thing in Beijing as I say in Bankstown - which is that the Australian Government supports free and fair trade. It's in the interests of the world to have free and fair trade, and we'll continue to engage that way.'
The Prime Minister also revealed Communist Party Chairman Zhao Leji had agreed to an invitation to lead a National People's Congress delegation to Australia.
'It is very clear that it is in our national interest for us to have a positive relationship with China, where there are differences, to talk about them, but not be defined by them,' he said.
Later on Wednesday afternnon, the Prime Minister donned his Akubra hat and to battle stifling humidity at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre, where he oversaw an announcement that the city will host the Asia-Pacific Wild Card Playoffs for the 2026 Australian Open.
There was 'no better way' to improve people to people and cultural links between Australia and China than the iconic Australian Open, Mr Albanese told an audience including Australian Open Champion John Fitzgerald, Tennis Australia's Vicki Reid, Governor Shi Xiaolin and rows of young tennis players.
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The Age
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Leave legal electric bike riders alone
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Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
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Since this environment provides our life-support system, it is increasingly imperative to address these damaging growth factors and find sustainable, ethical alternatives. Alan Jones, Narraweena At US behest Does anyone believe that the delivery of the 49 Abrams tanks promised to Ukraine was delayed because of 'logistics challenges' (' Australian tanks arrive in Ukraine after nine-month wait ', July19)? I believe it's more likely the nine-month wait was caused by the need to gain Washington's approval. Australia is at the mercy of United States decision makers – or maker. We have out-of-service, US-made Abrams and don't need them. Ukraine does. Australian pledged to help Ukraine, and in October 2024 we said we would send them 49 tanks immediately. The ABC and others report that the United States refused to give us permission to send the tanks to Ukraine. How could Australia have gotten in this deplorable position? Why would our sovereign country need any other country's permission? This raises the question of what else we need permission from the United States for. Carol Dance, Wollstonecraft Ages of consent While many politicians favour lowering the voting age in Australia and elsewhere, there doesn't seem to be a similar enthusiasm for lowering the age at which young people should be treated as adults in court (' Could Australia follow UK's 'shock' move to lower voting age to 16? ' July 19). If 16-year-olds are mature enough to have an equal voice in selecting the government, surely they are mature enough to accept the consequences of their illegal actions as an adult. Or is this lowering of the voting age just pandering for votes rather than a well-reasoned view of maturity? Remember, once the voting age is lowered, there will be no going back. Steen Petersen, Nanaimo (Canada) Not appy, Jen Thank you, Jenna Guillaume (' The app-ocalypse: Please, I beg, don't make me download one more app ', July 19). I find the world of apps exhausting. Like Jenna, I try to avoid them by using my trusty computer, yet somehow I end up with that dreaded word 'app'. Am I sounding like a grumpy old woman? Perhaps I could find an app to help me. Philippa Reiss, Port Macquarie Harmony to discord Best meme from that kiss-cam moment (' CEO of $1.5b tech firm appears caught out on Coldplay 'kiss cam'? July 19)? 'Coldplay haven't released any singles for ages – but they created two last night.' George Zivkovic, Northmead Bastardly act Richard Glover's article about Australian English, including our multiple meanings of the word 'bastards' – from insult to compliment to collective noun – jogged my memory about a story from the 'bodyline' Ashes series in the 1930s (' Do Australians have the best possible version of English? ' July 19). After a particularly acrimonious session, English captain Douglas Jardine stormed into the Australian dressing room to demand an apology after he had been sworn at by an Australian player. Vic Richardson, the Australian captain, called the team together and asked 'which one of you bastards called this bastard a bastard?' Ian Morris, Strathfield
West Australian
2 hours ago
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