Li's Australia visit to deepen bilateral ties
On Wednesday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will begin a visit to Australia. He is the most senior Chinese official to visit Australia since President Xi Jinping visited in 2014.
The significance of this visit has been highlighted by former Australian ambassador to China Frances Adamson, now secretary of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who noted that this would be the first Australia visit by a Chinese premier in about 11 years.
China is Australia's largest trading partner, both as its largest export market and its largest source of imports. In 2016, the two-way trade reached 150 billion Australian dollars ($115.78 billion). Entering into force at the end of 2015, the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement recently celebrated its first anniversary. Also, this year marks the China-Australia Year of Tourism, a booming sector which saw 2 million visitors travelling between the two countries last year.
