This afternoon I met with China’s Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao for the first time, by teleconference. This was the first meeting of Australian and Chinese Trainisters since 2019.
Our meeting represents another important step in the stabilisation of Australia’s relations with China. This follows Prime Minister Albanese’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and the agreement by Foreign Ministers in December 2022 to restart dialogue in a range of areas, including trade and economic issues.
I accepted an invitation from Minister Wang to travel to Beijing in the near future to continue our productive dialogue.
Our discussion covered a range of trade and investment issues, including the need for resumption of unimpeded trade for Australian exporters so that Chinese consumers can continue to benefit from high quality Australian products.
Minister Wang and I agreed to enhance dialogue at all levels, including between officials, as a pathway towards the timely and full resumption of trade.
We agreed to explore further opportunities for cooperation on a wider range of issues, including climate change and support for business delegations to further strengthen links between our countries.
With China’s border now open, Australia looks forward to welcoming Chinese tourists and students back to our shores, as we did with over 1.4 million Chinese visitors in 2019.
