Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his fiancee Jodie Haydon walk along the Bund with former Socceroo and Shanghai Port FC Manager Kevin Muscat in Shanghai, China on July 13, 2025. Photo: VCG

According to Australian media reports on Sunday, football and tourism have been the focus of the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's first full day in China as he visits China from Saturday to next Friday to bolster ties.

Xinhua News Agency reported on Friday that Albanese is scheduled to pay an official visit to China from Saturday to next Friday at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

The Canberra Times reported Sunday that former Socceroo Kevin Muscat joined Albanese on a morning walk along Shanghai's historic Bund promenade on Sunday to promote the two nations' people-to-people links.

Now coaching Shanghai Port FC, Muscat last year became the first Australian manager to lead a Chinese Super League team to the premiership, the report said.

Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported that on Sunday, the Australian prime minister would oversee the signing of a memorandum of understanding between online Chinese travel giant Trip.com and Tourism Australia.

He will also unveil a new tourism ad campaign to air in China, hoped to further promote Australia as a travel destination, according to AAP on Sunday.

Data from Tourism Research Australia shows that China is Australia's second largest inbound market, having reached 56 percent of pre-pandemic levels in FY2023-24. Total spend from Chinese visitors was $7.4 billion for FY2023-24. 

"Not only is Australia's beef, barley, red wine and lobster the best in the world - we're the best place in the world to come for a holiday," AAP quoted Albanese as saying. "Expanding our tourism relationship with China will mean more jobs for Australians and a boost to Australian businesses."

AAP revealed that the ad will feature Chinese cinema heartthrob Yu Shi and Ruby the Roo, an animated kangaroo voiced by Australian actor Rose Byrne.

The joint Australian-Chinese billing underscores Albanese's mission to boost cultural and people-to-people links, as well as economic ones, AAP said.

However, AFP reported a discordant note on Sunday, claiming that an Australian government minister on the day had said Australia expects China to "spy" on major military drills it is conducting with the US and other allies.

AFP claimed that it also renewed a baseless accusation- denounced by Beijing as a "false narrative" - that "China wants to establish a military base in the South Pacific."

Chen Hong, a professor and director of the Australian Studies Center at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Sunday that the visit, shortly after Albanese's re-election in May this year, is not merely a reciprocal visit following Premier Li's trip to Australia last year but also underscores the high priority Albanese places on China-Australia relations. But the expert also pointed out the complex domestic landscape affecting China-Australia relations improvement, noting the false narrative by the Australian minister would overshadow the economic and trade outcomes of Albanese's visit and impact bilateral mutual trust.