Chinese premier Li Keqiang has sent a congratulatory note to newly elected Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, Beijing's state media reported, ending a year-long freeze in diplomatic contact between the two countries.
Treasury Wine Estates will release its first Penfolds wine made in China for the domestic Chinese market in the second half of 2022 after Beijing hit Australian imports with tariffs last year.
China has used a variety of tools to bar the likes of Australian barley, beef, wine, lobsters and coal from entering its market since 2020, with Saturday’s election result unlikely to change Canberra’s approach to its relations with Beijing.
Opinion polls suggest Anthony Albanese’s Labor party is ahead of incumbent PM Scott Morrison’s ruling conservative coalition, but surveys have not been a good predictor of election outcomes.
Beijing’s ambassador to Australia wrote a newspaper op-ed to try and assuage concerns over China’s new security pact with Solomon Islands – although he didn’t specifically mention the deal.