Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday congratulated Anthony Albanese on his reelection as Australian prime minister.
Xi said that over the past three years, he had met with Prime Minister Albanese, and engaged with him in in-depth discussions on strategic, comprehensive and directional issues concerning the development of China-Australia relations.
These discussions led to important consensuses that have provided strategic guidance to improve and grow bilateral ties, he added.
Strengthening cooperation between China and Australia, Xi said, is of great significance for achieving shared development and promoting world peace and stability.
The Chinese president also expressed his readiness to work with Albanese to advance the China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership in a steady fashion, delivering greater benefits to the people of both countries.
On the same day, Premier Li Qiang sent a congratulatory message to Albanese, saying that China is willing to work with the new Australian government to promote a more mature, stable and fruitful China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership.
Xi congratulates Australian PM on reelection
President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Jae Myung has expressed his hope that his upcoming visit to China will help eliminate past misunderstandings and issues, underscoring the importance of ties between the two countries.
At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Lee will pay a state visit to China from Jan 4 to 7. It will be Lee's first visit to China since he took office.
In an interview with China Media Group (CMG) in Seoul on Wednesday, Lee acknowledged the existing misunderstandings and issues between the two countries, noting that addressing these issues is a key goal of his visit.
"The current international landscape is turbulent, with escalating issues among various countries. In this context, the relationship between the Republic of Korea and China holds significant importance for us. the ROK and China are deeply interconnected in many areas, including history, economy, geopolitics, politics and security. Northeast Asia's peace, stability, mutual respect, and common prosperity are crucial for both countries," said Lee.
"Admittedly, there have been some misunderstandings and issues between the ROK and China, which have hindered the development of bilateral relations to some extent. Therefore, the purpose of my upcoming visit to China is to minimize or eliminate these past issues, foster a leap in our bilateral relations to a new level, and solidify the ROK and China as partners that mutually support each other's development," he said.
ROK President hopes to reduce misunderstandings with China during upcoming visit
