Beijing has praised Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as a world leader that other Westerners should strive to emulate; in praise that the prime minister may not find useful at home.
The communist superpower’s state newspaper, the China Daily, published a glowing editorial on Thursday praising Australia for “waking up” to China’s importance and praising Albanese for its “strategic autonomy.”
In the past, the Chinese regime’s spokesman has brutally attacked Australian politicians, including criticizing Albanese’s predecessor, Scott Morrison, calling him a “yes man” for the United States.
But the state media organ took a noticeably different tone on Albanese in an editorial this week, praising his government for striking a masterful “balancing act” between its alliance with Washington and its economic interests with China.
Albanese received further praise for the way he has handled “unprecedented geopolitical complexity and uncertainty” following Donald Trump’s surprise comeback in the 2024 US election earlier this month.
The publication previously wrote that peace would not be “easy” after President-elect Donald Trump won the election and began announcing Cabinet members with tough views on China.
However, unlike Trump’s first term, when Australia was “under Washington’s anti-China spell”, the editors wrote that Canberra had since “woken up”.
“Australia’s ties with China deteriorated when the previous Australian government fell under Washington’s anti-China spell,” the editorial said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was praised by China’s state newspaper, the China Daily, as an example of what other Western leaders should strive to be.
The state media organ’s glowing editorial comes just a day before Albanese meets Chinese President Xi Jinping for the APEC conference in Peru.
“But Canberra has realized the importance of those links under the Albanese government and has set out to repair them.”
Trump has threatened to impose 60 percent tariffs on China after he takes office on January 20.
Economists predict that these tariffs, which are essentially a tax on imports or exports, would slow economic growth in countries like Australia, which depends on trade with China.
Albanese discussed trade with the incoming US president in a congratulatory phone call following Trump’s election victory.
The two discussed trade and ways of help safeguard Australia’s economy against global challenges.
“I pointed out that Australia has, or the United States, a trade surplus with Australia,” he said Wednesday.
The prime minister discussed his phone call to Trump with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto when the two met in Peru for the APEC summit on Friday.
“He had a phone conversation with President Trump, as I did last week, so we discussed that and what it could mean for the world,” Subianto told reporters.
China Daily praised Albanese for striking a masterful “balancing act” between his alliance with Washington and economic interests with China.
Chinese state media previously wrote that peace would not be “easy” after President-elect Donald Trump won the US election.
“Obviously, part of the context of APEC and the G20 is what the impact of a change in the US administration will be.”
The comment could expose Albanese to criticism that his government’s relationship with China is too cozy.
The editorial is not the first compliment Albanese has received from the Chinese regime.
The country’s second-in-command, Premier Li Qiang, told reporters that locals had started calling the prime minister “a handsome guy” on a trip to Beijing in November 2023.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with Albanese and other world leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum and the G20 meeting in Peru and Brazil in South America in the coming days.