BEIJING. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sent a congratulatory message to his new Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, as part of the first high-level contact between the two countries after months of frosty relations, authorities said.

“The Chinese side is willing to work with the Australian side to look back and look to the future to promote the reliable and sustainable development of their comprehensive strategic partnership,” Li was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency.

Relations between Beijing and Canberra are at their lowest since 2020 due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and Australia’s request for an independent investigation into the origins of the virus.

Tensions between the two countries subsequently escalated following Australia’s decision to exclude Chinese giant Huawei from a bid to build a 5G network.

China is Australia’s largest trading partner and has responded to Australia’s move by imposing punitive tariffs on more than a dozen Australian goods, including coal, wine and barley.

Albanese took office on Monday, hours before traveling to Tokyo to attend a summit of the US, India, Japan, and Australia Quad Alliance, an informal group aimed at countering China’s growing influence in the Asia-Pacific region. .