Key Points
- Anthony Albanese and Xi Jinping will meet on the sidelines of the G20 in Indonesia.
- Trade, the detainment of Cheng Lei and Yang Hengjun and the treatment of Uyghurs could be discussed.
- Experts say the talks are significant and could pave the way for further meetings.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed he will hold in Indonesia, with experts suggesting there will be a variety of topics on the table — some thornier than others.
Taking place on the sidelines of the G20 summit on Tuesday, it will be the first one-on-one meeting between the leaders of the two countries since 2016.
Diplomatic ties between Australia and China have endured a bumpy ride since then.
Among other things, China has imposed trade sanctions on some Australian imports and reacted angrily to Australia's call for an international inquiry into the origins of COVID-19. Australia has been pushed over China's security deal with the Solomon Islands, the imprisonment of Australians Chang Lei and Hengjun Yang, and the country's .
The diplomatic freeze has begun to thaw in recent months, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong having met her Chinese counterpart on two occasions.
On Monday, Mr Albanese said he was looking forward to the talks, describing them as "constructive".
"We enter this discussion with goodwill. There are no preconditions on this discussion," he said on arrival in Bali for the G20 summit. "Australia will put forward our own position."
Experts say the formal talks are significant.
"Any resumption of normal dialogue between the leaders, given China is a major power in the region that we share and our largest trading partner, is good news," Philipp Ivanov, CEO of Asia Society Australia, told SBS News.
"While Australia wants to take the heat out of the relationship, I think for President Xi, he will probably seek to stabilise the relationship with Australia."
Here's what's likely to be discussed.
Trade sanctions
Mr Albanese and Senator Wong have made it clear that China's $20 billion trade sanctions on many Australian goods, including coal, barley, beef and wine, must be lifted if relations are to move forward.
Professor David Goodman, director of China Studies Centre at University of Sydney, told SBS News that lifting trade sanctions "has to be the very first step in restoring working relations between the two governments".
"They want good trade relations with us. Our exports to them at the moment such as coal are costing them more than they would like and they're not happy about that. If they lift the sanctions then trade is direct," he said.
Dr Jennifer Hsu, research fellow and China expert at the Lowy Institute, said an agreement on trade would act as "an indicator of goodwill".
"I think trade will be the lowest hanging fruit for both parties to deal with in any sort of constructive way. And hopefully, a start in rebuilding that trust between Australia and China," she said.
Cheng Lei and Yang Hengjun
Thornier issues to resolve may be access to Australians Cheng Lei and Yang Hengjun, who are both detained in China, or at least access to the charges against them.
Journalist , with the Australian citizen allowed no contact with her family, including her two children.
Australian writer , accused of espionage, with no explanation of the charges he faces.
China-born Australian citizen Cheng Lei has been detained in China since August 2020. Credit: Vaughn Ridley/Sportsfile for Web Summit via Ge
China experts agree, but Mr Ivanov said Australians should not get their hopes up on Tuesday.
"Any kind of specific response from China on that is very unlikely," he said.
Human rights issues
Australia and other western countries have been vocal in condemning China's alleged human rights abuses against Uyghur minorities in Xinjiang, which China has always denied.
In , Senator Wong vowed Australia would continue to stand firm on these issues.
"I have made it plain that we will speak out as necessary on the issues that matter to Australians, including human rights and upholding the international rules to which we have all agreed," she said.
Mr Ivanov said China may well ask that Australia stop getting involved.
"But this will be very hard for Australia to agree to," he said.
Professor Goodman added that China may also be seeking more respect from Australia.
"They may say, 'let's have less propaganda from you about the China threat'," he said.
"But I don't know how Albanese can make that happen."
Climate change
Both Australia and China are big carbon emitters, but the Asian superpower is trying to demonstrate global leadership in this space, with Premier Xi having pledged to generate 80 per cent of his country's energy from non-fossil sources by 2060.
This is a more ambitious target than Australia, and if China pulls it off, it will be the fastest decline in emissions among major economies.
Professor Goodman said Mr Xi may even push Mr Albanese to take a tougher line on climate change.
"China is pushing developing countries to go for renewable energy. They are leaders in some aspects of renewable energy, and it's a great export market for them," he said.
Regional and international security
With China seeking dominance in Asia and the Pacific, and heightened tensions with Australia over , the two countries are likely to discuss their vision for the region, Mr Ivanov said.
"The international security disagreements will definitely come up. Australia doesn't want to see Chinese military or paramilitary activity in the Pacific region because we think that will destabilise the region and put our Pacific neighbours in a very difficult situation," he said.
"I think the Solomons will definitely be one such point of discussion."
Dr Hsu said the pair could discuss "trilateral, three-way relationships between Australia, China and the Pacific in terms of development issues", though she admits that may be a little "far-fetched".
"But finding ways to cooperate and collaborate are areas in which this relationship can move forward," she added.
Plans to meet again
Mr Ivanov says while "we shouldn't have high hopes for tomorrow", the fact that two leaders are talking at all is "a good thing".
What will be even better is if they decide to organise another meeting, he added.
"We're pretty sure that our officials and Prime Minister Albanese will seek some assurances from China that the ministerial-level dialogue will resume and will be more regular. And the signs are quite positive that China may agree to this," Mr Ivanov said.
"Hopefully this will be the new normal."
