Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will be going to Australia and New Zealand in the coming week, officials from both nations revealed on March 14. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rolled out the red carpet for the visit, which happens days after China hinted it was close to erasing hindrances on Australian wine, first enforced whilst a diplomatic petty fight in 2020.
“I am desperately waiting to see Wang Yi whilst his visit to Canberra next week,” Mr Albanese said during a televised media briefing. “It’s a good thing that Wang Yi is visiting, it’s a good thing to have dialogue.” The last time a Chinese foreign minister went to Australia was in the year 2017. Australia’s diplomatic rapports with China had been majorly disturbed since 2018, when the previous conservative government hindered Huawei from giving equipment during the roll-out of its 5G network.
Ties soured further after Canberra called for an independent investigation into the origin of Covid-19. China replied by enforcing tariffs on many Australian commodities. It has been lifting most trade blocks since Mr Albanese’s Labor government came to power two years ago.