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China-Australia relations
EconomyGlobal Economy

Exclusive | China’s foreign minister Qin Gang to visit Australia in July for ‘reciprocal visit’ as Beijing-Canberra ties ease

  • China’s foreign minister Qin Gang will visit Australia in July amid improving ties between Beijing and Canberra
  • On Thursday, Australian trade minister Don Farrell arrived in China for a three-day visit that will include a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao on Friday

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Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang meets with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi, India, in March. Photo: Xinhua
Kandy Wong

China’s foreign minister Qin Gang will visit Australia in July, according to a source close to the Chinese government and an Australian academic, with “the reciprocal visit” the latest in a series of high-profile political and trade-related moves.

The expected trip to Canberra follows a meeting between Australian foreign minister Penny Wong and Qin’s predecessor, Wang Yi, in December. Former US ambassador Qin, who replaced Wang Yi in December, has already met Wong this year during the Group of 20 (G20) foreign ministers’ meeting in India in March.
Amid improving ties between Beijing and Canberra, Australian trade minister Don Farrell arrived in China on Thursday for a three-day visit that will include a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao on Friday.
In terms of removing trade blockages, the path has been set – coal, cotton, copper already gone. Barley is in the process of being resolved
James Laurenceson
“In terms of removing trade blockages, the path has been set – coal, cotton, copper already gone. Barley is in the process of being resolved,” said James Laurenceson, the director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney.

“I expect there will be no barley tariffs in three months’ time. That’ll then set the model for dealing with wine. Given all that, maintaining blocks on goods like lobster makes no sense.”

Qin’s trip to Australia will focus on the “2023 Foreign and Strategic Dialogue – the reciprocal visit following Penny Wong going to Beijing last December for the 2022 dialogue,” added Laurenceson.

The source close to the Chinese government confirmed the timing of Qin’s trip to Canberra without providing further details, but China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to request for comment.

On Friday, a statement from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that Wong “looks forward to the next opportunity to meet minister Qin Gang,” without elaborating on the possibility of any future meetings.

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