Sound Sino-Australian ties benefit both

China, Russia should promote just intl order, president says during meeting with Lavrov

China and Australia vowed on Tuesday to enhance bilateral ties, and work together to uphold multilateralism and free trade and jointly cope with global challenges amid the transformation and turbulence in the international landscape.

During their meeting in Beijing, President Xi Jinping and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reaffirmed their commitment to adhering to the principle of "seeking common ground while shelving differences" in further promoting ties between the two countries to pursue mutually beneficial cooperation.

Also on Tuesday, President Xi stressed the need to enhance the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between China and Russia and jointly promote a more just and equitable international order, when meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Beijing.

Canberra as partner

Premier Li Qiang held a grand welcoming ceremony on Tuesday for Albanese, who started a weeklong official visit to China on Saturday covering Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu in Sichuan province.

The two prime ministers witnessed the signing of a slew of cooperation documents in the fields of trade, customs, tourism and agriculture after they co-chaired the 10th China-Australia Annual Leaders' Meeting. In a statement issued after the meeting, both prime ministers reiterated the importance of a mature, stable and constructive bilateral relationship.

During their meeting, Xi told the Australian prime minister that the "turnaround" of China-Australia relations has proved that "adhering to the principles of treating each other as equals, seeking common ground while shelving differences, and engaging in mutually beneficial cooperation" is in line with the fundamental interests of both China and Australia as well as their peoples.

Regardless of how the international situation evolves, this overarching principle should be unwaveringly upheld, he said.

Xi underlined the need for both countries to make consistent efforts to enhance strategic mutual trust, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, strengthen people-to-people bonds, and jointly cope with global risks and challenges.

China's determination for peaceful development will not waver, its commitment to common development will remain steadfast, and its policy to promote cooperation and development in the Asia-Pacific region will not change, he said.

China advocates that countries promote unity and cooperation, advance the construction of the Asia-Pacific Free Trade Area, facilitate the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, and promote regional peace, development and prosperity, he added.

Noting that China has been Australia's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, he stressed the importance of enhancing the alignment of the countries' development strategies and creating a favorable business environment for enterprises in both countries.

Faced with the complex and changing international situation, all countries should collaborate to uphold international fairness and justice, support multilateralism and free trade, defend the international system with the United Nations at the core and the international order underpinned by international law, and promote the international order toward a more just and reasonable direction, Xi said.

Albanese affirmed the positive progress in Australia-China relations in recent years, saying that Canberra attaches great importance to its ties with China.

He assured Xi that Australia adheres to the one-China policy and does not support "Taiwan independence".

While recognizing that China's development is vital to Australia, Albanese pledged that Australia does not seek decoupling from the Chinese economy.

Australia is willing to maintain unimpeded trade with China and promote pragmatic cooperation in fields including green industry, climate change response and medical technology, in order to seek mutually beneficial, win-win results, he said.

Albanese also expressed Australia's commitment to working with China to uphold multilateralism.

Relations with Moscow

During his meeting with Lavrov, Xi said China and Russia should bolster mutual support within multilateral frameworks, safeguard their development and security interests, unite Global South countries and push the international order toward a more just and equitable direction.

He called on both sides to support each other in steering the development direction of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, injecting new momentum into the SCO and making the strategic platform more substantive and stronger.

Noting the strategic importance of the SCO, Xi emphasized the organization's vital role in maintaining peace, stability and development across the Eurasian region.

Xi asked Lavrov to convey his cordial greetings to Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling on both sides to follow through on the important understandings that he reached with Putin.

Lavrov said Russia looks forward to maintaining high-level exchanges with China and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas, as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War.

He also underlined the importance of communication and coordination between the two sides on international and regional issues, in order to jointly contribute to global and regional peace and stability.

Lavrov added that Russia will actively support China's work as the rotating chair of the SCO, and stands ready to work closely with China to ensure the complete success of the SCO summit that is to be held later this year in Tianjin.

Lavrov attended the Meeting of the Council of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of SCO Member States in Tianjin on Tuesday.

Analysts said that China and Russia, under the strategic guidance of their heads of state, continue to advance their comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era with close high-level exchanges and robust cooperation across all sectors.

The two heads of state have met more than 40 times over the years. In May, Xi met with Putin in Moscow when Xi made a state visit to Russia and attended celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told the media earlier that Putin will make a four-day visit to China starting late August.

Ahead of the meeting with Xi, Lavrov held two rounds of talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi within four days — first in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and then in Beijing — in a move to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state and to prepare for upcoming high-level exchanges.

During a meeting with Lavrov in Beijing on Sunday, Wang said that China-Russia relations are the most stable, mature and strategically valuable among major-country relationships in today's world.

Contact the writers at caodesheng@chinadaily.com.cn