Doorstop - Melbourne

Transcript
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
The Hon Anthony Albanese MP
Prime Minister of Australia

JOURNALIST: What about, in 2025, the China-Australia relationship?

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: The relationship is very strong, and I want it to be even stronger in the future. When I became Prime Minister, there were issues. What we've done is work through those issues constructively. It is in Australia and China's interest for us to be great friends. And I was honoured to be the first Prime Minister in a number of years to visit China. I was honoured to host the Premier here as well. And I've had really constructive meetings and dialogue with President Xi, with the Premier and with other Chinese Ministers. We are now having Australia-China government ministers meeting together. Our economic relationship is so important. But you know what's more important? The relationship between our people. And the Chinese people have made such a contribution, Chinese Australians, and today is a celebration of that.

JOURNALIST: So what do you feel about the lobster in China, particularly before Chinese New Year?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, this Lunar New Year, people in Beijing and Shanghai will be sitting down to lunch having Australian beef, Australian lobster, washed down with Australian wine. It's all very, very good. 730 different consignments of Australian lobster in the first two weeks that consignments went back. Australian barley, helping to make beer in China. Australian produce the best in the world, contributing and helping to cement the relations between our two great nations. Thank you.