Albanese was speaking at the opening of the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai on the first full day of a high-profile state visit to his country's biggest trading partner.
"Constructive economic engagement between countries helps to build relationships... that is why the government that I lead will continue to work constructively with China," Albanese said in a speech.
The prime minister will spend four days in China, splitting his time between Shanghai and Beijing.
It is the first such visit by an Australian leader in seven years, with the two countries seeking to patch things up after a diplomatic spat that affected billions of dollars in trade.
Albanese's administration has sought more amicable ties with China, while also pushing back against Beijing's growing influence in the Pacific.
The prime minister on Sunday said the development of the Asia Pacific region was "the lens through which we see so much of the future", and that "Australia's relationship with China is a key part of all of this".
He hailed a "mature relationship" between Beijing and Canberra, "energised by the complementary nature of our economies".
China's foreign ministry has said that Albanese would meet Chinese leaders and "have an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral issues as well as on international and regional issues of common concern".
"A healthy and stable China-Australia relationship accords with the fundamental interests of both countries and peoples," said ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.
The bonhomie is a stark shift in tone from three years ago, when bilateral ties were in a deep freeze.
China slapped punitive tariffs on a range of Australian commodities in 2020 after Canberra's then-conservative government barred tech giant Huawei from 5G contracts and called for an investigation into the origins of Covid-19.
But under Albanese's liberal administration, those tariffs have been lifted, and Beijing has also indicated it will abolish similar penalties on Australian wine.
- Major trade fair -
Albanese was among a handful of heads of state present at the opening of the CIIE, an event touted by Beijing as a platform for international economic cooperation, though foreign business groups have complained the deals it generates lack substance.
Organisers say more than 3,400 exhibitors will participate in the sixth annual CIIE, which runs until Friday and is the first edition of the fair to take place since China relaxed strict pandemic travel controls.
It also comes as foreign business confidence weakens in the world's second-largest economy, with the US and European chambers of commerce warning in recent months that firms are increasingly looking to move investment away from China.
Premier Li Qiang told expo guests on Sunday that China was committed to opening up and increasing market access for international investors.
"China sincerely wishes to work with other countries to meet each other halfway and make mutual achievements on a grand stage of openness," Li said at the opening of the expo.
But Carlo D'Andrea, vice president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, told reporters in Shanghai on Friday that "the CIIE in its current form is smoke and mirrors, and it has become a political show that is distinguished as a trade fair".
He said EU Chamber members had complained of logistical difficulties and high costs to participate in the fair, while visitors were largely from government departments rather than potential buyers.
The percentage of EU Chamber members participating in the CIIE has fallen from 42 percent to 32 percent since the first year of the fair in 2018, according to survey results published by the group on Friday.
Australia's Albanese expected in China as relations thaw
Beijing (AFP) Nov 4, 2023 -
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was due to arrive in China on Saturday for a landmark state visit, a sign that icy relations between the two countries are finally thawing.
Beijing is Canberra's biggest trading partner, but ties plummeted in 2020 after Australia's then-conservative government barred Chinese tech giant Huawei from 5G contracts and called for an inquest into the origins of Covid-19.
A furious Beijing then slapped punitive tariffs on a range of Australian commodities, hitting billions of dollars in trade as the relationship descended into the deep freeze.
But Albanese has sought a reset since taking power in May last year, and his trip -- the first by an Australian leader in seven years -- comes after a string of indications that ties are warming at last.
The prime minister will spend four days in China, dividing his time between the capital Beijing and the eastern megacity of Shanghai, where he is expected to attend the opening ceremony of a major trade fair.
Albanese has said he hopes to keep improving relations with China but has stressed the need to remain "clear-eyed" about the two nations' differences.
His liberal government has tried to walk a fine line between seeking friendlier diplomatic and business links while also countering Beijing's growing clout in the Asia-Pacific region.
"We are two nations with very different histories, values and political systems," Albanese said of China during a visit to the United States last month.
The prime minister warned that China appeared to reject the "status quo" and seek "a region that is much more accommodating of its values and interests".
Beijing has also taken a more cordial tone towards Canberra of late.
Its foreign ministry on Friday hailed the visit as "an opportunity to strengthen communication, increase mutual trust, broaden cooperation, deepen friendship and push for the continued improvement... of bilateral relations".
Chinese leaders would "have an in-depth exchange of views (with Albanese) on bilateral issues as well as on international and regional issues of common concern", ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a news briefing.
"A healthy and stable China-Australia relationship accords with the fundamental interests of both countries and peoples," he added.
- Tariffs lifted, journalist freed -
Under Albanese's administration, China has abolished tariffs on Australian commodities and indicated it will also lift similar penalties on Australian wine.
Beijing's ambassador has hailed the "relentless efforts of both sides" to bring Australian coal, timber and barley exports back to China, adding in an opinion piece that ties were "at a critical juncture of setting off and sailing off again".
Last month, China released Australian journalist Cheng Lei after three years in detention on opaque espionage charges.
The sons of Australian writer Yang Jun -- who has been in jail in China since 2019 on spying accusations -- have asked Albanese to raise his case and achieve the same "miracle" for their father.
However, points of contention persist.
Beijing has bristled at Australia's security pact with the United States and Britain, and rebuked its decision to purchase nuclear-powered submarines, widely seen as an effort to parry Chinese military might in the Asia-Pacific.
Albanese has also called for defending each nation's right to choose its destiny, upholding human rights and maintaining peace -- including in the Taiwan Strait, which separates China from the self-ruled island it regards as part of its own territory.
Chen Hong, director of East China Normal University's Australian Studies Centre, called Albanese's visit a "journey of hope" but questioned Canberra's ability to diverge from Washington on matters of international diplomacy.
"Australia must have a clear, independent foreign policy... if (it) sacrifices its relationship with China solely to maintain US hegemony in the region, it will harm its own interests," he told the state-backed Global Times newspaper in a Friday interview.
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