Chinese premier calls for expanding China-Australia trade fo

BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) -- China's vast market will remain open to the world, and China is willing to import more high-quality products from Australia, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Tuesday.

In a phone conversation with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Li also said that China stands ready to work with Australia to expand and upgrade bilateral trade, support enterprises of both countries in conducting cooperation based on market principles, and promote mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

Amid the current complex and volatile international situation, with the global economy continuously affected by geopolitical turbulence and protectionism, China and Australia, as important cooperative partners, should steer their bilateral relations in the right direction, strive to foster and maintain a positive atmosphere, and consolidate the positive momentum in bilateral relations and cooperation, Li said.

China is ready to work with Australia to follow through on the important consensus reached by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Albanese last year, maintain high-level exchanges, strengthen communication and coordination, consolidate mutual political trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, safeguard multilateralism and free trade, inject momentum into the development of the two countries and provide more stability for the region and the world at large, he said.

Li noted that China-Australia economic and trade cooperation has strong internal momentum and still holds great potential in the long run. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), China will adhere to expanding domestic demand as a strategic priority, vigorously boost consumption, promote a marked increase in the household consumption rate, and continuously unleash market demand, he said.

Both sides should accelerate the review and upgrade discussions of the bilateral free trade agreement to provide stronger institutional support for cooperation, Li said.

There is great potential for China-Australia green cooperation, and China is willing to leverage complementary advantages with Australia to deepen cooperation in such areas as clean energy, electric vehicles, energy storage and carbon reduction, jointly building stronger momentum for the development of the green economy, he added.

For his part, Albanese said the Australian government has always been committed to developing a stable, mature and constructive relationship with China. Under the current international circumstances, the steady development of Australia-China relations is particularly important, he said.

Australia has long adhered to the one-China policy and is willing to strengthen high-level exchanges with China, expand cooperation in trade, investment, mining, clean energy and people-to-people exchanges, properly manage differences in the spirit of mutual respect, and advance the Australia-China comprehensive strategic partnership, he said.

Albanese said he looks forward to visiting China to attend the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting. Australia is willing to enhance multilateral communication and coordination with China to address global challenges and promote world peace, stability and development, he added.