Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that Chinese Premier LI Qiang will visit Australia from Saturday until next Tuesday, the first such trip by a Chinese premier in 7 years.

Albanese and Premier Li will hold talks in Canberra concerning bilateral, regional and international issues. They will also meet with Australian and Chinese business leaders.

China removed anti-dumping tariffs on Australian wine in March. It lifted a ban on five Australian beef exporters nearly two weeks ago.

This is the second high-profile visit to Australia by a high-ranking Chinese official this year. Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited in March.
Though relations between the two nations appear to be improving, Australia is a member of a trilateral pact with the United States and Britain, a collective security framework called AUKUS. The group is widely seen as a response to China’s increased maritime presence in the Pacific region.

Li will head to New Zealand prior to visiting Australia.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says Li’s trip is a valuable opportunity for exchanges about cooperation between the two countries.