Albanese, Li to boost defence dialogue

New era: Albanese (right) shaking hands with Li during a signing ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra. — AFP

Australia and China will take steps to improve military communication to avoid incidents, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said after meeting Premier Li Qiang, in the first visit to the country by a Chinese premier in seven years.

The visit by Li, China’s top-ranked official after President Xi Jinping, marks a stabilisation in relations between the US security ally and the world’s second-biggest economy, after a frosty period of Beijing blocking US$20bil (RM94.3bil) in Australian exports and friction over defence encounters.