MARK GIBSON, HOST: There's no doubting the importance of the relationship. China is Australia's biggest trading partner and three quarters of Australia's exports to China come from here in WA. Chinese Premier Li Qiang flew into Perth overnight, alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and today the pair will discuss trade and tariffs, meet with local business leaders, visit a lithium refinery and a green hydrogen research facility. Prime Minister Albanese joins me now. PM, good morning.

Welcoming an international visitor to our shores is an opportunity to showcase Australia’s qualities, our people’s values and our economy’s strengths. So it’s fitting that Western Australia is playing such a prominent role in this week’s visit by the Premier of China.

For a start, WA is home to a proud, generous and growing Chinese-Australian community, people who have worked hard and made a profound contribution to every facet of Western Australian life.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Thanks for joining us, I’ve just concluded hosting a State Lunch in Premier Li Qiang's honour, the first Chinese Premier to visit Australia since 2017. Premier Li's presence represents another important step in stabilising our relationship with China. It follows his visit for a couple of days to Adelaide, including the announcement that was made about two younger pandas coming to Adelaide Zoo, as well as the event that was hosted at Penfolds there at the Magill Estate in Adelaide.

It is my honour to welcome you, Your Excellency, Mr Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China.

And to welcome all the distinguished guests who join us today.

Premier Li, it is an honour to represent the Government and people of Australia as your host.

And it is a pleasure to reciprocate the generosity with which I was welcomed in China last year.

It was my seventh visit to China, but my first as Prime Minister.

And it was an important opportunity to advance the engagement between our nations.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: Well, thank you very much and firstly, a very warm welcome to Premier Li to Canberra. My visit to China last year was an important one for our relationship, so I'm very pleased to be returning the hospitality that I received in Beijing and Shanghai on a visit that celebrated the 50th anniversary of the recognition of relations between our two great nations. Premier Li is the first Chinese Premier to visit Australia since 2017.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: It is my great pleasure to welcome you to Australia and to reciprocate the wonderful hospitality that I received in Shanghai and Beijing last year, it was a resumption of our Annual Leaders’ Meetings. I did have a wonderful time while I was in China and I know that you enjoyed your visit to Adelaide yesterday. And we will also meet again in Perth tomorrow with the business community.

1. At the invitation of The Hon Anthony Albanese MP, Prime Minister of Australia, H.E. Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, undertook an official visit to Australia from 15 to 18 June, 2024. Premier Li Qiang visited Adelaide, Canberra and Perth during his visit.
2. During the visit to Canberra on 17 June, Prime Minister Albanese and Premier Li Qiang held talks, jointly convened the Annual Leaders’ Meeting and briefed media.

Today Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hosted Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Canberra for their Annual Leaders’ Meeting.

Following the meeting, the leaders witnessed the signature of a range of bilateral arrangements that will renew dialogue and strengthen cooperation between Australia and China.

Australia’s goods and services exports to China have more than doubled since China-Australia Free Trade Agreement entered into force in 2015. Ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen its implementation.

CHRIS O’KEEFE, HOST: You know that I've been campaigning and a big supporter on upgrading Leichhardt Oval and I've been doing stories on it for more than 10 years, I reckon. I'm not a Wests Tigers supporter. I've been living in the area, though, in and around Balmain for ages now and I've seen firsthand just how many sporting teams use Leichhardt Oval for a whole range of sports. Doesn't matter what it is, juniors, adult sport, it is always being used and I just want to remind you of something.

HIS EXCELLENCY MR LI QIANG, PREMIER OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA: Nice to meet you, Mr. Prime Minister in here in Jakarta. Indeed it's my pleasure to have this opportunity. Last November, you met with President Xi Jinping, also in Indonesia but in Bali. A series of important common understandings were reached. Since then, thanks to the concerted efforts of both sides, the China-Australia relationship has continued to show a positive momentum of improvement which is welcomed by all sectors of both countries and the international community.