BCB in Brief: Australian and Chinese foreign ministers meet
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What happened
Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong met her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on 20 March in Canberra for the 7th iteration of the Australia-China Foreign and Strategic Dialogue.
As well as discussing contentious points of bilateral disagreement, such as Yang Hengjun’s suspended death sentence and Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea, ministers Wong and Wang canvassed a cooperative agenda, including deeper diplomatic engagement and the widely expected removal of China’s duties on Australian wine.
Minister Wang’s first trip to Australia since March 2017 also involved Canberra meetings with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, senior opposition figures, other members of Parliament, and the business and think-tank communities. Minister Wang is expected to meet former Prime Minister Paul Keating and community groups on 21 March in Sydney before departing Australia.