. Trade Minister Don Farrell arrived in Beijing on Thursday for a three-day visit to meet with his counterpart, Wang Wentao, according to the Chinese commerce ministry. It’s the first visit to China by an Australian trade minister since 2019. In a statement, the minister said he would work to resolve “outstanding” blocks on the flow of goods between the two countries.
But relations began to improve after Anthony Albanese became prime minister last May, leading to “the resumption of coal, cotton, and copper trade,” noted Farrell. Data shows a big upswing. In March, Australia’s exports to China hit a record high, with the value of shipments reaching 19 billion Australian dollars . Challenges remain Last month, Australia’s foreign ministry pointed to restrictions on the sale of Australian barley, saying that “since 2020, China’s 80.