Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced on Saturday that an industrial, government, academic, and media delegation from Australia will travel to Beijing for discussions with their Chinese counterparts on Thursday, marking another step toward stabilizing relations. High-level meetings, which do not include government ministers, have been held annually since 2014 as a forum to discuss issues of mutual interest, but were halted after 2020. A statement from Wong's office indicated that former Australian Trade Minister Craig Emerson will lead the delegation, which will also include former Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.
The discussions will cover trade, investment, regional and international security. The Chinese delegation will be headed by former Foreign Minister Li Chaohsing. Also part of the delegation is Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Jan Adams, who attended the last dialogue in Beijing as Australia’s Ambassador to China. Wong's statement noted, "This is the first time the dialogue has taken place since early 2020 and represents another step toward increasing bilateral engagement and stabilizing our relationship with China." Emerson remarked that the meeting is an opportunity to find common ground. Diplomatic exchanges between the two major trading partners ceased in 2020 when China imposed restrictions on dozens of Australian exports in response to Australia calling for an investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tensions have eased since Australia elected a Labor government in May 2022, with China recently lifting tariffs on Australian barley exports.
