Anthony Albanese had an observation for viewers back home as he concluded a successful six-day tour of China.

“China isn’t just Beijing or Shanghai, any more than Australia is Sydney or Melbourne,” he told reporters.

As the prime minister flies out on Friday, he does so from a regional city many Australians have never heard of.

Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province and the gateway to China’s west, is nonetheless home to 21 million people and a burgeoning hub of high-tech medical research, finance, fashion and culture.

Like the rest of China, Chengdu has been transformed beyond recognition since Mr Albanese’s first visit to the country in the 1990s, as Deng Xiaoping’s economic liberalisation tapped its potential to become a global superpower.

That transformation has not been lost on the prime minister, who in his second official leaders’ visit to China, summed it up as a nation that “sees itself as confident going forward”.

“I’m an urban policy nerd,” he said.

“As you drove from the tennis centre to here yesterday afternoon, it struck me that there was more innovative architecture than in any city I have been to around the world.”

Even from a vantage point atop Mr Albanese’s high-rise hotel in central Chengdu, it’s impossible to see an end to the skyscrapers stretching far off into the distance.

China is a country that knows how to build.

In less than three decades, it has built more kilometres of high-speed rail than exists in the rest of the world.

Naturally, China has an approach to development and community consultation that simply would not fly in the low-rise inner suburbs of Sydney or Melbourne.

Flying over the outskirts of major Chinese cities, farmland is seen directly abutting grids of high-rise apartment blocks.

But what it demonstrates is the sheer unfettered capacity of the Chinese economy, something members of Mr Albanese’s front bench – converted to the supply-side progressive agenda – would like to capture to solve Australia’s own housing and energy challenges.

And there is still so much latent potential in the nation of 1.4 billion citizens.

Economic growth has slowed and there are concerns that, with its ageing population and a looming middle-income trap, China may soon reach its peak.

But it’s still on track to reach its GDP target of five per cent growth this year.

That would mean about another $1.4 trillion added to its economy – the equivalent of adding half of Australia to the Chinese economy in just one year.

On Thursday, Mr Albanese toured a manufacturing facility owned by Australian hearing aid producer Cochlear.

That Australian innovation – giving the gift of sound to someone who has never heard their parents’ voices or birds chirping – should be a source of immense national pride, he said.

But it was also an example of the economic opportunity China presents Australia.

China is one of Cochlear’s largest markets, having already sold about 50,000 units there.

But there are another 10 million people in China with severe to profound hearing loss that could benefit from a Cochlear device.

So as the country’s middle class continues to swell, the potential benefit to both countries will continue to grow as well.

Anthony Albanese has hit back at the coalition over claims of “indulgence” during his China trip, saying his rivals don’t understand the importance of respect in diplomacy.

The prime minister’s itinerary has included retracing the steps of Gough Whitlam on the Great Wall of China and a panda research centre in the southwestern city of Chengdu as his visit nears the end.

Back home, the optics of visiting popular tourist sites attracted sniping from the opposition.

Coalition frontbencher James Paterson suggested the prime minister was enjoying himself too much.

“I do wonder whether a Gough Whitlam history tour on the Great Wall of China, whether a visit to Chengdu to pose with some pandas, and whether a hit of tennis is strictly necessary as part of a six-day visit to China, when there is so much else at stake in our other international relationships around the world,” he told Sky News on Thursday.

“And frankly, I have to say that some of this is starting to look a little bit indulgent.”

Mr Albanese has himself been eager to draw links between his tour and those of former Labor prime ministers Whitlam and Bob Hawke, who also visited the giant pandas in 1986.

What those and his visits achieved was building respect between Australia and China, which would in turn result in better economic and diplomatic outcomes, he said.

“Those pictures go to 27 million people, potentially, in Australia. They go to over a billion people in China,” Mr Albanese told reporters in Chengdu.

“And those billion people represent people who are increasingly rising up the income ladder and are potential tourists and therefore job creators in Australia.

“If James Patterson doesn’t understand that, then he doesn’t understand much.

“The Great Wall of China symbolises the extraordinary history and culture here in China, and showing a bit of respect to people never cost anything. You know what it does, it gives you a reward.”

Mr Albanese’s trip has been shorter on concrete outcomes than in previous years, when his resumption of dialogue with China saw $20 billion worth of Chinese trade sanctions lifted from Australian exports.

But the welcome has been warmer and coverage from Chinese state media more effusive than at any time since before the breakdown in Sino-Australian relations in 2020.

A few agreements to boost trade and tourism links have been reached.

But the increased dialogue and co-operation in areas from green steel to medical technology were part of a gradual improvement in relations that would advance Australia’s national interests, Mr Albanese said.

“You don’t go from a position of where we were into absolute agreement on everything. That’s not the goal.”

Despite the improving mood, China and Australia still have many issues they disagree on.

In meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, Mr Albanese raised concerns over China not providing advance notice of naval live-fire drills off Australia that forced commercial flights to divert.

Meanwhile, Mr Li has voiced his dismay over Australia’s stringent restrictions on foreign investment from China, imploring the Australian government not to treat Chinese firms unfairly.

“We have different political systems, but it has been constructive and has been an important step in the developing of our relationship,” Mr Albanese said.

An accused car thief’s arrest has been hailed as a breakthrough, amid mounting pressure on police to pinpoint the evasive “masterminds” of a synagogue firebombing.

A 20-year-old man has been charged with the theft of a car linked to several high-profile incidents, including the alleged “politically motivated” arson attack on Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue in December.

Detectives arrested the man in Williamstown before executing a search warrant at a home in Melton South on Wednesday, where they seized multiple items.

The man was charged with motor vehicle theft, along with failing to provide access to applications on his phone.

Victoria’s acting premier Jaclyn Symes suggested it could lead to further arrests.

“A breakthrough such as this and getting to an arrest demonstrates that the investigation is at a critical point,” she told reporters on Thursday.

“It’s presumed there are others involved and once you have an arrest you have the ability to obtain more information.”

No one has been charged with carrying out the firebombing and the accused car thief is the first person to be accused of any offence linked to the attack.

Ms Symes would not be drawn on whether a joint counter-terrorism task force’s efforts to uncover who ordered the attack were being stifled by criminals using encrypted messaging apps.

The ability of police to find “small criminals” at the end of the chain instead of the “masterminds” was frustrating, Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion KC said.

“There is clearly more going on and no doubt the police are doing their best but we are not getting to the people who are planning these attacks and arranging for them to be carried out,” he said.

“Until we find those who are ultimately directing these violent crimes, we have no prospect of stopping them or delivering justice for the victims.”

Police allege the 20-year-old, granted strict conditional bail ahead of a scheduled court hearing in early October, stole a blue 2020-model VW Golf sedan at Melton on November 29, 2024.

The stolen car was used in other offences, including the Lux nightclub arson at South Yarra in November, as well as an arson and shooting at Bundoora.

It was then used in the synagogue arson attack on December 6, police allege.

Investigators do not consider the Bundoora and South Yarra incidents politically motivated attacks.

Two of the synagogue’s three buildings in Ripponlea, in Melbourne’s southeast, were gutted.

Inside at the time were two congregants preparing for morning prayers who escaped, with one suffering minor injuries.

Photos and CCTV footage released by counter-terror police in May showed a Golf sedan repeatedly passing the synagogue before parking directly outside its main entrance.

Three people donning hoodies and masks got out of the vehicle and used an axe to damage the entrance of the building.

Investigators have combed through CCTV from more than 1400 locations and believe multiple offenders are directly and indirectly linked to the incident.

Detectives have also been investigating several more recent alleged acts of anti-Semitism across Melbourne, including an incident at the Israeli restaurant Miznon and the alleged arson attack on a East Melbourne Synagogue on July 5.

A group of worshippers fled when a man allegedly set the building on fire during weekly services.

Police later charged Angelo Loras, 34, from Sydney’s west with multiple offences including reckless conduct endangering life and criminal damage by fire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the “reprehensible anti-Semitic attacks” and demanded the federal government “take all action to deal with the rioters to the fullest extent of the law”.

The unemployment rate has reached its highest level in nearly four years as global uncertainty and the fallout from US tariffs cause firms to rethink hiring plans.

Australian Bureau of Statistics data released on Thursday showed the jobless rate rose from 4.1 per cent to 4.3 per cent in June as the number of people without work rose by 34,000.

Financial markets had expected the rate to remain steady, but an increase of 2000 jobs could not outpace the growing number of out-of-work Australians, pushing unemployment to its highest level since November 2021.

The result was an “inevitable consequence” of uncertainty within the global economy and the impact of higher interest rates, Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth said.

“But more jobs were created, unemployment remains low and participation remains close to its record high,” she said.

“Despite the tick up in unemployment, the number of people in work remains higher than ever before.”

A record high of 14,619,300 people are in work after the participation rate rose slightly to 67.1 per cent in June.

But the increase was largely driven by part-time employment, which grew by 40,000 people, while full-time employment fell by 38,000.

Underemployment also ticked up marginally.

The labour market will face a number of challenges in the near future, according to Oxford Economics Australia head Harry Murphy Cruise.

“Global uncertainty is lapping at our shores,” he said.

Although Australian goods were yet to be directly hit with high tariffs from the US, the flow-on effects from levies on other countries’ exports had weighed on business investment and prompted some firms to rethink hiring plans, Mr Cruise said.

The number of job vacancies in Australia had recently stabilised, AMP economist My Bui noted.

But there are still headwinds for the labour market with indicators like job ads trending down.

The number of people who lost their jobs had also persistently outweighed the numbers of those who quit.

Nevertheless, the Australia labour market generally remains balanced, with many economists noting a 4.3 per cent jobless rate was still considered low.

Until this result, the unemployment rate had sat at 4.1 per cent for three consecutive monthly readings.

“Back then, we weren’t convinced the data signalled a sharp rise in joblessness was looming,” Mr Cruise said.

“And while we’re still not ringing alarm bells, June’s slackening is another good reason for the RBA to get a wriggle on with rate cuts.”

The Reserve Bank is expected to take in the latest figures before its next monetary policy meeting in August after a surprise move to hold interest rates steady in July.

Most economists had pencilled in a 25 basis point cut from the current cash rate of 3.85 per cent on the back of slowing inflation.

The Reserve Bank board said in its latest monetary policy decision labour market conditions remained tight.

“Measures of labour under-utilisation are at relatively low rates and business surveys and liaison suggest that availability of labour is still a constraint for a range of employers,” the bank said.

“Alternatively, labour market outcomes may prove stronger than expected, given the signal from a range of leading indicators.”

Anthony Albanese’s trip to China has been largely welcomed, but there has been as much emphasis on what was left out as on what was said and achieved.

The prime minister is wrapping up a six-day trip to China where he met with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang as part of annual leader level talks, this time with a focus on trade and increasing business links.

But Mr Albanese largely tempered his public rhetoric on differences with China and Australia’s concerns about Beijing’s military build-up and aggressive actions in the Pacific during his trip.

Foreign affairs expert David Andrews said this was a normal part of diplomacy when leaders travelled abroad as it would be counterproductive to insult the hosts while trying to achieve greater trade ties.

“Diplomacy is a fairly subtle and nuanced exercise and there’s definitely a time and place for everything,” he told AAP.

Human rights abuses and Chinese aggression were still important issues that were raised and acknowledged by the prime minister but a balance needed to be struck with public rhetoric, Mr Andrews said.

“I don’t think the Chinese have any doubt Australia has concerns about their actions in the South China Sea or the Tasman or their military build up,” he said.

“It’s unambiguous we view China to be a big threat to security and destabilisation in the region.

“But we can’t not have a relationship with China, they’re our biggest trading partner … there isn’t an easy way to slice this.”

The coalition has been trying to balance its own rhetoric over the prime minister’s trip.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley welcomed greater trading ties with China.

“We wish him well, trade and tourism links should be strong and we want them to be strong,” she told reporters in Brisbane on Thursday.

But she also criticised Mr Albanese for not more forcefully raising security concerns.

“I was disappointed that in his meeting with President Xi he didn’t get the assurances that he should about the unacceptable nature of the circumnavigation of Australia by the Chinese Communist Party’s navy warships,” she said.

Mr Albanese said he raised the issue and sought assurances Australia would be better informed of Chinese military drills in the region, noting the live fire exercise didn’t break international law as it was in international waters.

The opposition also sustained its criticism of Mr Albanese for not securing a meeting with US President Donald Trump face-to-face, saying he hadn’t put enough focus on the relationship with Washington.

The jobless rate has risen to 4.3 per cent, surpassing expectations, as the number of unemployed Australians jumped.

Financial markets had expected the rate to remain steady at 4.1 per cent in June, however, there was a 34,000 increase in people without work, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Employment rose by 2,000, up two per cent compared to the same month last year, after part-time employment grew by 40,000 and full-time employment fell by 38,000.

Until this result, the unemployment rate had sat at 4.1 per cent for three consecutive monthly readings.

The Reserve Bank will closely monitor the labour market before its next monetary policy meeting in August, NAB’s head of Australian economics Gareth Spence said.

“The focus for the RBA will be ensuring the labour market remains healthy going forward,” he said.

“The timing of (rate) cuts is not super important. 

“It’s more about where do they end up.”

In a move that shocked analysts and disappointed mortgage holders, the RBA in July kept the cash rate steady at 3.85 per cent.

Most economists had pencilled in a 25 basis point cut on the back of slowing inflation growth.

Mr Spence still expected the jobless rate to climb to 4.4 per cent by the end of 2025, but said economic indicators point to the labour market still being in a strong position.

The Reserve Bank said in its latest monetary policy decision that labour market conditions remained tight.

“Measures of labour under-utilisation are at relatively low rates and business surveys and liaison suggest that availability of labour is still a constraint for a range of employers,” the bank said.

“Alternatively, labour market outcomes may prove stronger than expected, given the signal from a range of leading indicators.”

BAE Systems says it’s developing a new weaponised drone, aiming to offer military customers a lower-cost option for countering unmanned aircraft that have come to dominate the battlefield in Ukraine.

Britain’s BAE launched its solution to the threat from kamikaze attack drones, which explode when they hit targets, by fitting its Malloy T-150 drone with APKWS laser-guidance kit that fires 70-mm rockets, and used the combination to shoot down another drone in trials.

“We’ve had multiple inquiries from agencies in the US, from agencies in Europe, from the UK,” said Anthony Gregory, business development director of BAE Systems’ FalconWorks unit.

Given the growing military interest as countries see what is happening in Ukraine, and also Iran’s deployment of drones against Israel, BAE said it wanted to supply an alternative to Raytheon Technologies Patriot mobile surface-to-air system.

“Those type of munitions are probably in four or five figure sums, whereas a Patriot missile, or things that you see being used on the news to do the same thing, are in six figure sums,” Gregory said on Wednesday.

The weapon system can be removed from the drone within an hour, enabling the drone to be repurposed to supply cargo or to perform reconnaissance. It is already used by the US Marines and Britain’s Royal Navy to move equipment between ships at sea, replacing some helicopter lifts.

BAE acquired England-based Malloy Aeronautics, a specialist heavy-lift drone company, last year. 

The trial of the drone with the APKWS kits produced by BAE’s US business, and usually found on F-16s and Apache helicopters, took place last month in Utah, Gregory said.

Given anticipated demand from Western militaries, BAE said it was aiming to start manufacturing the electric motors that power the drone in Britain, instead of buying them from China.

“We’re trying to what we would call onshore, or friend shore, all elements in the value chain of the supply chain,” Gregory said. 

Donald Trump says Coca-Cola has agreed to use cane sugar in its beverages in the US, after his discussions with the company.

“I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so. I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday.

The president’s home state of Florida is the nation’s top sugarcane producer.

A spokesperson for Coca-Cola said the Atlanta-based company would share details on new offerings soon, and that it appreciated Trump’s enthusiasm for its product.

Coca-Cola produced for the US market is typically sweetened with corn syrup, while the company uses cane sugar in some other countries.

The Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative, named for the social movement aligned with Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, has pushed food companies to alter their formulations to remove ingredients like artificial dyes.

Kennedy has also been critical of the amount of sugar consumed in the American diet and has said that updated dietary guidelines released this summer will advise Americans to eat “whole food”.

A May report by the MAHA Commission, a panel convened by Trump and tasked with identifying the root causes of chronic disease, said substantial consumption of high-fructose corn syrup could play a role in childhood obesity and other conditions.

Medical experts recommend limiting added sugar in diets, but have not identified significant differences between cane sugar and high-fructose corn syrup.

Corn producers concentrated in the US Midwest have long wielded considerable influence over lawmakers in Washington.

“Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar doesn’t make sense,” said Corn Refiners Association President and CEO John Bode.

“Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar would cost thousands of American food manufacturing jobs, depress farm income, and boost imports of foreign sugar, all with no nutritional benefit.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Reserve Bank will have a keen eye on fresh data on Australia’s jobs market as its next decision on interest rates draws closer.

Labour force figures for June will be released on Thursday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and are tipped to show the unemployment rate remaining at 4.1 per cent for the month.

The predictions come despite a tightening of the jobs market.

The Reserve Bank would continue to closely monitor the jobless rate before its next meeting in August, NAB’s head of Australian economics Gareth Spence said.

“I think the focus for the RBA will be ensuring the labour market remains healthy going forward,” he said.

“The timing of cuts is not super important.

“It’s more about where do they end up.”

In a move that shocked analysts and disappointed mortgage holders, the RBA kept the cash rate steady at 3.85 per cent at its last board meeting on July 8.

Most economists had pencilled in a 25 basis point cut on the back of slowing inflation growth.

The Commonwealth Bank has forecast 20,000 jobs will have been added to the economy during June.

The participation rate is also expected to stay at the previous level of 67 per cent.

The unemployment rate has stayed at 4.1 per cent for the past three consecutive monthly readings.

The most recent figures in May came despite employment falling by 2000 people, according to the bureau’s last figures.

Mr Spence still expected the jobless rate to climb to 4.4 per cent by the end of 2025, but said economic indicators point to the labour market still being in a strong position.

The Reserve Bank said in its latest monetary policy decision that labour market conditions remained tight.

“Measures of labour under-utilisation are at relatively low rates and business surveys and liaison suggest that availability of labour is still a constraint for a range of employers,” the bank said.

“Alternatively, labour market outcomes may prove stronger than expected, given the signal from a range of leading indicators.”

Pandas and bionic ears are on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s agenda as his six-day tour of China reaches its final leg. 

Mr Albanese touched down in Chengdu, in China’s southwest on Wednesday afternoon, where he announced the Sichuan capital would be given hosting rights to an Australian Open wildcard play-off tournament for a second year running.

In the sweltering 37C heat, the prime minister turned down the offer of a hit on centre court, instead hailing the role of sport in boosting people-to-people and cultural links between Australia and China. 

“I know that my dear friend (former professional tennis player) Glenn Busby comes here and coaches and spends a lot of time here each year, and he tells me that China will dominate the sport in the years to come,” he said. 

Chengdu, a provincial hub home to 21 million residents, is best known outside of China as the home of giant pandas. 

Mr Albanese will visit a breeding research centre at the forefront of efforts to save the species from extinction. 

As well as a beloved cultural icon, pandas are a central part of China’s efforts to exert soft power in the world. 

In a meeting with local party secretary Wang Xiaohui, Mr Albanese said pandas “have been such an important feature” of building positive relations between Australia and China. 

He noted the two new pandas who were loaned to Adelaide Zoo in 2024 in the latest example of panda diplomacy.

“I thank this province for our two newest guests who have been so well received,” he said.

But Chengdu has another, arguably more impactful, connection to Australia. 

Cochlear, the Australian hearing device company, bases a manufacturing and research plant in the city, which the prime minister will visit on Thursday. 

More than 50,000 Chinese patients have had hearing loss restored by a Cochlear device, making it one of the company’s largest markets. 

But with a population of 1.4 billion, there is plenty of scope for expansion

“Chengdu is home to inspiring examples of world-leading Australian and Chinese co-operation in science, technology, research and education,” Mr Albanese will say at a medtech luncheon. 

Both governments had a responsibility to invest in research and an opportunity to deepen co-operation in medical manufacturing, he will say.

“This also depends on continuing to break down barriers by supporting the free and fair trade that enables Australian medtech companies to access the market here in China.”