Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong will visit China this week, raising expectations of a deepening thaw in relations between Canberra and Beijing that could restore one of the region’s most important trading relationships.
Wong has accepted an invitation from her counterpart Wang Yi to participate in the sixth Australia-China Foreign and Strategic Dialogue. The last round of talks occurred in 2018 prior to a move by China to impose punitive sanctions on selected Australian imports including fine wine, lobsters and coal.
The government has estimated the sanctions have cost the economy A$20bn (US$13.6bn), but that has been offset by rising commodity prices and a diversification of Australia’s export markets.