SYDNEY (Reuters) – 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.
“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.
Australia had clashed with China, its largest trading partner, over several issues including trade tariffs and the origin of COVID-19 but the recently elected Labor government has been looking to mend ties.
(Reporting by Renju Jose; Editing by Edmund Klamann)
