Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's meeting with President Xi Jinping this week is a positive signal.

Login or signup to continue reading

Not because it revives either the complacency or overconfidence that once characterised our approach to the relationship, but because it reflects an opportunity for a more deliberate and disciplined approach to engagement.

With a face-to-face meeting with President Trump still pending, the timing of this week's visit to Beijing carries added weight.

That meeting will come in time, but regional developments aren't on hold while we wait.

After years of disruption, the China visit presents an opportunity to assert Australia's interests, support our exporters, and gain clearer insight into the region's most consequential economy.

Trade and business are central to this trip. Alongside high-level political talks in Beijing, Albanese will co-host a CEO Roundtable with Premier Li Qiang and visit commercial hubs in Shanghai and Chengdu.

Australian business leaders from key sectors will be there, not to relive the past, but to assess how we move forward in a more complex and contested environment.

Strengthening trade and investment links is critical if Australian businesses are to regain footing and confidence in the Chinese market.

The risk now is one of misinterpretation.

In public debate, there is a tendency to frame interacting with China as either a capitulation or choosing sides. It should be neither.

Engaging with China doesn't mean betting the farm. It means showing up with........

© Canberra Times