China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in capital Canberra for high-level talks with counterpart Penny Wong, returning to Australia for the first time since 2017. — AFP picCANBERRA, March 20 — China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi began a whirlwind visit to Australia today, his rare trip marking a thaw in relations between the two trading partners.
While trade was high on the agenda, Wong said she would “frankly” raise sensitive issues such as “Australians detained in China, maritime security and safety” and “human rights”.“Together, you and I have made progress in stabilising the relationship between our countries in the interests of our nations, our people and the peace and security in our region,” she said.
Yang was recently found guilty of espionage in a Beijing court — charges he stridently denies — and handed a suspended death sentence.