The 2th WZBC Wenzhou Entrepreneurs Forum Photo: Tu Lei/GT

Australian businesses are willing to continue and expand their exports to China, and the businesses are  experiencing improving conditions after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's recent visit in China, Daryl Guppy, once a board member of the Australia China Business Council, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Guppy made the remarks at the sideline of the 2th WZBC Wenzhou Entrepreneurs Forum held by Wenzhou Business College in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province. 

"What impresses me most is their willingness to work together to develop better products and to deliver better services to China, when I am communicating with those Australian business community," he said.

Earlier this month, Albanese paid a visit to China, the first tour by an Australian leader in seven years. Albanese also attended the 6th China International Import Expo in Shanghai. The visit comes at a time when icy relations between the two countries are gradually thawing.

China is Australia's most important trading partner, accounting for over 25 percent of Australia's exports, more than the next three trade partners - the US, South Korea and Japan - combined, and one-quarter of the country's jobs depend on trade, said Albanese during his visit to China.

Albanese said the two sides should respect each other, be equal and benefit each other, stay in communication, enhance understanding and cooperation, and achieve win-win results. He said the Chinese people have the right to development, and he is always optimistic about China's economy, according to the Xinhua News Agency on November 7.

An iron ore mining site in Australia Photo: cnsphoto

When asked which areas do the two countries share room and possibilities to further explore cooperation, Guppy said the nature of the trade between Australia and China is unlikely to change.

The bulk commodities such as iron ore and grain are the major commodities for Australian exports to China, and China's appetite for high quality healthy products like  honey will rise, as well as tourism and people to people exchange after the improved understanding between the two countries, he said.

There is the complementarity between China and Australia in the economic and trade field, he said. 

China resumed imports of Australian barley in October, with the amount reaching 313,700 tons, or worth $88.4 million, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Monday.

This is the first shipment of barley imported from Australia in more than three years after China imposed anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tariffs on Australian barley and ended the measures on August 5. Analysts said that the barley imports can be seen as an important symbol of the recovery of China-Australia trade relations.

China's October imports from Australia rose 12 percent from a year earlier to $11.96 billion, according to GAC, up from the 4.9 percent increase in September.

"The thawing relationship between China and the Australia will improve the trade relationship and I believe there will be a smooth way forward," Guppy said.