Australia foreign minister to visit China as diplomatic ties improve

International

19-12-2022, 08:26

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INA-source

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong will visit China this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday, signalling an improvement in diplomatic relations between Beijing and Canberra.

Wong will meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and hold the sixth Australia–China Foreign and Strategic Dialogue, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries on Wednesday.

It will be the first visit to China by an Australian minister since 2019, and the first formal talks in Beijing between the two nations' top diplomats since 2018.

"Australia seeks a stable relationship with China; we will cooperate where we can, disagree where we must and engage in the national interest," Albanese said in a statement.

Diplomatic ties between Australia and its major trading partner China had deteriorated in recent years, with Beijing imposing sanctions on Australian exports after Canberra called for an international inquiry into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source- Reuters