FILE PHOTO: Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese shake hands after making opening remarks at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Monday, June 17, 2024. - Pool via Reuters
SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday (Nov 2) that China's Premier Li Qiang would visit Australia next year on a trip that may include a stop at Uluru, the giant monolith in central Australia.
"Premier Li will visit Australia next year, we've discussed that," Albanese told Sky News television, according to an official transcript of his remarks.
"Included in that was a discussion about a visit to Uluru that he expressed an interest in. I encourage that. I think that would be a very good thing to showcase Central Australia to what is after all well over a billion people," Albanese added.
Uluru, the Unesco World Heritage-listed 348-metre (1,142-foot) rock, famed for its deep red-ochre hues, is a top tourist draw despite its remote desert location near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. The landmark is sacred to its Indigenous custodians, the Anangu people.
Albanese's comments follow a meeting with Li on the sidelines of Asean on Monday, during which the prime minister said he raised concerns over an encounter between a Chinese fighter jet and an Australian maritime patrol aircraft.
Li told Albanese at the summit in Malaysia that China was ready to build a more stable and strategic partnership with Australia, according to China's official Xinhua news agency.
Li, who holds China's No. 2 post, last visited Australia in 2024 on a trip that marked a stabilisation in ties between the US ally and the world's second-biggest economy. It was the first visit to Australia by a Chinese premier since 2017.
China is Australia's largest trading partner, with Australian resources and energy exports dominating trade flow. - Reuters
