By Saadet Gokce
ISTANBUL (AA) - Chinese Premier Li Qiang told Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday that Beijing is ready to jointly build "a more mature and stable China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership.”
Speaking on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Malaysia, Li expressed a willingness to maintain strategic communication with Australia and expand mutually beneficial cooperation, according to the Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua.
Li said that China is willing to work with Australia to tap the cooperation potential in the fields of green economy, high-tech industries and the digital sector. He urged Canberra to "provide an open, transparent and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese enterprises."
Albanese raised an incident where the Chinese military expelled an Australian warplane last Wednesday over the South China Sea during his meeting with Li, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
In a meeting with European Council President Antonio Costa, Li said that ties between China and the European Union are "currently facing both development opportunities as well as new challenges, requiring both sides to maintain the ties on the right track.”
Separately, during his address Monday at the ASEAN-Indo Pacific Forum 2025, Albanese said that Canberra has identified a A$20 billion ($13 billion) investment pipeline across Southeast Asia.
"Australia is making new investments in farming in Laos, energy in Thailand, infrastructure in Vietnam, and Toll (Group’s) transport and logistics across Southeast Asia," he said, according to Malaysia's Bernama news agency.