Premier Li Qiang is the second most powerful person in China, after President Xi Jinping. He is expected to visit Australia and New Zealand in the next few days. Meetings in Canberra will present an opportunity for leaders to set the seal of approval on tentative measures already under way for stabilisation of the bilateral relationship, and, hopefully, to find ways of developing that relationship further despite economic and strategic problems for both sides.

Li Qiang has been Premier for a year and has not travelled widely overseas in that capacity. His first trip after China lifted restrictions imposed during Covid was to Europe in January this year, and he also attended the recent Japan-Korea-China summit. It is a mark of the importance attached to Australia that his next visit is to Australasia. He will be bringing a large business delegation and will include Perth in his itinerary, thus acknowledging the importance of Western Australia’s minerals and energy sector.

It would be wrong to assume that Li Qiang is merely a mouthpiece for President Xi. He is proud of his ties with his native place, Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, a city with a national reputation for entrepreneurial skill. Prior to his appointment as Premier, he served as Party........

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