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By Alasdair Pal and Lewis Jackson
Nov 14 (Reuters) – Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday he would hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, in what would be the first meeting between leaders of the two nations after years of strained ties.
Albanese and Xi are in Bali, Indonesia, for a meeting of G20 leaders.
“Australia will put forward our own position. I look forward to having a constructive discussion with President Xi tomorrow,” Albanese told media after arriving in Bali on Monday.
Diplomatic ties between Australia and China have deteriorated sharply in recent years, with Beijing imposing sanctions on some imports of Australian goods and reacting angrily to Canberra calling for an international inquiry into the origins of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Leaders of the two countries last met when Albanese’s predecessor, Scott Morrison, met briefly with Xi at the G20 in 2019, according to Australia’s foreign ministry.
Albanese spoke briefly with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at a summit in Cambodia on Sunday, while the foreign ministers of both countries also spoke last week. (Reporting by Alasdair Pal and Lewis Jackson in Sydney; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Tom Hogue)
