Australian Foreign Minister Visit to China Sign of Restoring Ties?

Australia's foreign minister is due to visit China on Tuesday in what is seen as a sign of renewed ties between the two countries. This is the first visit by an Australian Foreign Secretary in four years. 

Australia says Penny Wong will visit Beijing to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and meet Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Xi. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albennis announced the visit, saying that "Australia and China strive for stable relations. 

We will work together as much as possible and disagree where necessary.” The Australian foreign minister last visited Beijing in 2018, after which the “excellent” relationship between the two countries became strained. 

Disagreements between the two countries have deepened over political and moral issues, particularly the quest for Chinese influence overseas and widespread human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet. 

 China's communist leaders have been angered by Australia's decision to ban Huawei, a licensed firm, from operating on the G5 network and are calling for an investigation into the spread of Covid-19. 

In response, China quietly imposed sanctions on a range of Australian goods and severed high-level contacts. Cold relations ended when the Australian Prime Minister met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bali in November. met 

However, the economic sanctions remain in place and Australia has made it clear that it intends to lift them. Canberra has embarked on sweeping military reforms to better address foreign threats. 

Experts believe this shift in ties is due to China's rapid military build-up under President Xi Jinping and a more aggressive stance abroad. 

China is Australia's largest trading partner and Australia still supplies many of the metals and minerals essential to China's tremendous economic growth.