Politics

China’s foreign minister to visit Australia amid growing rapprochement

Sydney, Australia, Mar 14 (EFE).- Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Thursday that China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit the country next week, a sign of greater rapprochement in the bilateral relationship after years of tension.

“I look forward to meeting Wang Yi during his visit to Canberra next week,” the president said at a press conference.

“It’s a good thing to have dialogue,” he added, highlighting the “significant progress” made in recent months in their relationship.

The visit of the head of Chinese diplomacy, the first since 2017, comes as the Australian press speculates about a possible elimination of import tariffs imposed by Beijing on Australian wine before the end of the month.

“There was a good interim decision when it comes to wine just this week – that is a positive development,” Albanese said, adding that before the imposition of duties Australian wine exports to China were valued at over AU$1 billion (more than $660 million) annually.

“That means that that is a significant benefit for Australia, if that can be lifted, and I’ve said that I’m confident that it will be.”

China, Australia’s main trading partner, increased tariffs on Australian products such as wine, coal, barley, timber and meat, among others, in 2020, after the previous government, led by the conservative Scott Morrison, said it would request an international investigation into the origins of Covid-19.

But, since Albanese came to power in May 2022, Beijing has been lifting trade restrictions and bilateral relations have progressed.

Wang is also scheduled to meet with his Australian counterpart, Penny Wong, to discuss a series of consular matters, such as the suspended death sentence handed down to Australian writer of Chinese origin Yang Hengjun, who was convicted of espionage in Beijing. EFE

aus-nc/tw

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