Australia and China agree to further cooperate on investment and trade By Reuters

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia and China have agreed to further cooperate on investment, trade and decarbonisation, Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers said on Friday during a visit to the country.

“We will be hosting counterparts next year to continue to advance these discussions on areas such as trade and investment, decarbonisation of industries, business engagement,” Chalmers told a news conference in Beijing, the first visit to China by an Australian treasurer for seven years.

Ties between the nations flared after Australia in 2017 accused China of meddling in its politics. An Australian call in 2020 for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19 further angered China, which responded with blockades on various Australian imports.

But China has since lifted almost all trade restrictions after an intervention by Australia’s Labor government, which won power in 2022.