The prime minister, dressed in a relaxed polo shirt and a Rabbitohs cap, spoke to the media near the Great Wall of China about his discussions with President Xi and other Chinese officials.
“I had meetings for around about eight hours yesterday. It was a very long meeting, but it also showed respect, both sides,” Albanese said.
“The fact that President Xi arranged not just a meeting, but also a lunch where Jodie was invited… it was a gesture of respect towards Australia and our nation.”
The PM, along with leaders such as Chinese Premier Li Qiang, attended a dinner the previous evening, where a band performed several well-known Australian anthems.
“I’ve got to say that the band there in the Great Hall played a different version of Paul Kelly’s To Her Door, of Midnight Oil’s Power And The Passion and a range of songs as well,” Albanese continued.
“That obviously took them a long period of time and those gestures matter.
“Respect matters between countries.”
He added: “Powderfinger as well. They did the full kit and caboodle and so it was a splendid occasion.”
Albanese paid homage to his predecessor Gough Whitlam, who as opposition leader became the first Western leader to visit China in 1971 in a bid to strengthen relations with the nation’s former Cold War foe.
He said this week’s visit is building on Whitlam’s legacy of forming a strategic allyship and opening up diplomatic relations with China.
“There is no question that Gough Whitlam made the right decision in 1971 and that Australia has benefited from that,” he said.
“It certainly is understood here in China that that was an early decision and was a decision that took courage.
“He expanded Australia’s horizons and that was really important for us as a nation. Australia is an outward-looking nation today.
“We engage. We are a medium-sized power who [is] able to talk with respect around the world.”
Yesterday’s roundtable saw Li call on his country and Australia to work closer together in the face of “destabilising factors” and growing “protectionist measures”.
Qiang highlighted the “fairly strong resilience and vitality” of the Australia-China trade relationship “despite some twists and turns” and calling for even more co-operation and trade.
Albanese said China’s vastly different political system to Australia’s was not lost on him as he navigated the meeting and worked to strengthen ties.
“That was acknowledged by all of the leaders in the discussions yesterday, but that means that we do have differences,” he said.
“What’s important is that we’re able to talk about those differences, to talk about them wisely and to acknowledge that they’re there, but to not allow those differences to define us.”
After his visit to the Great Wall, Albanese will travel to Chengdu to discuss sport and tourism opportunities between China and Australia.
