Xi Jinping, the current President of the People’s Republic of China, has had a long and complicated relationship with Australia.

Throughout his lifetime, he has visited the country five times – more than any of his predecessors. He is also the only leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to have visited all states and territories within Australia.

During his last trip, then-prime minister Tony Abbott gave Xi a special gift – a photograph of his father, Xi Zhongxun, with former NSW premier Neville Wran in 1979. Xi’s father once said he had “seen and learned many things” during his trip to Australia all those years ago.

But 43 years later, Beijing’s attitudes to Canberra are a far cry from what they were back then. Let’s take a look at how Xi Jinping’s relationship with Australia has changed over the years.

1979 – Xi Zhongxun Meets with Neville Wran

Xi Zhongxun was an influential Chinese politician who served as Vice Premier of China from 1980 to 1982. He was also the father of current President Xi Jinping. In 1979, during a state visit to Australia, Zhongxun met with then-NSWPremier Neville Wran. This meeting was considered to be groundbreaking at the time, as it was the first time a high-ranking CCP official had met with an Australian state premier.

2003 – Hu Jintao Meets with John Howard

In 2003, Hu Jintao succeeded Jiang Zemin as General Secretary of the CCP and President of China. During his time in office, he continued to build upon the economic reforms that had been put in place by Deng Xiaoping. He also worked to improve China’s relationships with other countries, including Australia. In 2003, he met with then-prime minister John Howard in Beijing. This meeting resulted in the signing of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA), which came into effect in 2015.

2013 – Xi Jinping Meets with Julia Gillard

By 2013, Xi Jinping had become the General Secretary of the CCP and President of China. He made his first state visit to Australia that year, meeting with then-prime minister Julia Gillard in Canberra. The two leaders discussed a range of issues, including trade and investment ties between China and Australia. Gillard also announced that she would be working towards ratifying ChAFTA during her time in office.

2017 – Malcolm Turnbull becomes Prime Minister after leadership spill

In September 2015, Malcolm Turnbull replaced Tony Abbott as leader of the Liberal Party and prime minister of Australia following a leadership spill. One month later, he made his first official visit to China as prime minister. During this visit, he met with President Xi Jinping and other high-ranking officials to discuss trade relations between China and Australia. Turnbull also became the first Australian prime minister to address students at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Since 1979, when Xi Zhongxun meet with Neville Wran, Beijing’s attitude towards Canberra has changed significantly. In recent years, under the leadership of Xi Jinping, relations between China and Australia have become increasingly strained. This is due to a number of factors, including Australia’s decision to ratify ChAFTA and our relationship with the United States.