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As Australia's PM Albanese travels to China, he will be focusing on security and trade.

On Saturday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will depart for Shanghai in an official visit to China. Regional security tensions as well as efforts to increase economic ties is likely to dominate the talks.

Albanese is traveling with Rio Tinto executives, BHP executives, and Fortescue executives to hold business events over six days in three different cities.

Albanese, a reporter on Friday, said: "The relationship with China means jobs for Australia. It's that simple."

Albanese will make his second trip to Beijing where he'll meet President Xi Jinping. This visit comes after Canberra increased screening of Chinese investments in minerals that are critical and while U.S. president Donald Trump is roiling the global economy by imposing sweeping import tariffs.

Albanese has yet to meet Trump after the scheduled G7 talks were cancelled because the U.S. President left early. The United States is Australia's main security ally.

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In a speech delivered in Malaysia on Friday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that China's nuclear and conventional militarism was "worrying", with the aim of changing the regional balance of power.

AUKUS, she stated, contributed to "collective dissuasion in our region."

Richard Maude (a non-resident fellow at the Asia Society and a former Australian intelligence chief) said Albanese had to not only expand Australia's economic relationship with China, but also "make it clear to Australia's closest partners and the Australian public, that Australia is speaking clearly and honestly to China about aspects that are concerning us".

In February, the Chinese navy conducted live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea in between Australia and New Zealand without any advance warning. There have also been tensions between Australian and Chinese aircraft in the disputed South China Sea.

Maude, the author of Australia's 2017 white paper on foreign policy, says that while Beijing is eager to advance ties, its proposals on cooperation in artificial intelligence have already been met with a cold response.

Australia's bilateral trade with China accounted for A$312billion last year. This is a quarter of the total Australian trade.

Since 2020, when China banned A$20 billion of Australian exports in an unofficial manner, the relationship has stabilised.

Albanese, a reporter on Friday, said that direct engagement with Chinese leaders is important for Australia's safety.

He said: "We work together where we can, and disagree when we have to. We are able to hold honest discussions about the differences that exist."

Jim Chalmers, Treasurer of Canada, has stated that economic ties to China are not only a priority but also a complex issue.

Beijing is likely to raise Australia's increased scrutiny of Chinese investments in minerals, renewable energy, and key infrastructure, according to company executives, even though Chalmers stated on Tuesday that Australia would not reduce its scrutiny.

Maude said, "The Government understands that it is not in Australia’s national interest for China to further stranglehold the crucial minerals supply chain",

Geoff Raby is a former Australian Ambassador to China. He said that China will probably increase its ambitions to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Australia leads.

Raby stated that the most dangerous thing to do is to adopt policies which force China to become even more isolated or encourage domestic forces within China to favour policies more inward looking.

Albanese is scheduled to meet with businesses in Shanghai, then travel to Beijing to participate in the annual leaders' dialog with Premier Li Qiang and to host a roundtable of companies. She will also visit Chengdu, a city located southwest of China. (Reporting and editing by Kate Mayberry in Sydney)

(source: Reuters)