China, Australia resume trade talks after 3-year hiatus

Australia and China will resume their high-level government talks next week after a three-year hiatus, in another step towards stabilizing the relationship between the two countries.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement on Saturday that the high-level dialogue with China will be held in Beijing next Thursday, and will be a platform for representatives of industry, government, academia and other fields to discuss several issues, ranging from trade and investment to regional and international security.
Former Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing will co-chair the Chinese delegation, while former Trade Minister Craig Emerson will co-chair the Australian delegation. Former Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will also participate from the center-right current, reflecting the partisan nature of the talks.
“This is the first time the dialogue has been held since early 2020, and it marks another step towards increasing bilateral engagement and stabilizing our relationship with China,” Wong said. The resumption of dialogue was one of the results of my meeting with Chinese state councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing last December,”he said.
This is the latest sign that relations between Australia and its largest trading partner are improving after the election of the center-left Labor government in Canberra a little over a year ago. Beijing has lifted some restrictions on Australian goods, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been invited to visit Beijing.