Foreign Minister Penny Wong may be meeting with China’s foreign minister in New York this week, a signal that China may be willing to continue to hold discussions with Australia.
According to media reports, Wong is expected to meet with China’s Wang Yi on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The details of the meeting are still being negotiated, according to the ABC.
The news of the possibility of a meeting with Wang Yi in New York follows a meeting that was held between the two foreign ministers in July at the G20 in Bali. This marked the first high-level, face-to-face talks between Australia and China since 2019.
This week, Wong is leading Australia’s delegation at the United Nations General Assembly and will deliver Australia’s national statement outlining a commitment to global rules-based order. She is there with Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen and Senator Pat Dodson, the government’s Special Envoy for Reconciliation and Implementation of the Uluṟu Statement.
According to a statement issued by Wong, she will engage with a range of global partners to promote priorities including peace and security human rights, development and action on climate change.
“It’s in Australia’s national interest to ensure a world where countries operate by agreed rules and norms, and where outcomes aren’t decided by power and size alone,” she said in a statement.
“That means we need to work with others to solve shared problems and advance our interests.”
In New York, Wong has already met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Senator Pat Dodson is in New York with Wong to advance the federal government’s commitment to the Uluru Statement from the Heart and a First Nations foreign policy, and will hold discussions with other nations and Indigenous representatives.