The likely lifting of the final major tariffs on Australian products by China in coming weeks will conclude a bitter three-year trade war between Canberra and Beijing. That alone is unlikely to usher in a new era in relations between the two.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s first trip to Australia in seven years to meet with his counterpart Penny Wong in Canberra on Wednesday is the latest sign of a tentative improvement in ties. During his trip, Wang will attend the Australia-China Foreign and Strategic Dialogue, which was postponed for years during a diplomatic deep freeze.
His visit comes just over a week after China announced it was considering lifting trade tariffs as high as 218% on Australian wine, removing the last major sanction imposed after relations frayed in 2020. But even as the economic disputes ease, some experts caution the overall relationship still faces headwinds from persistent political differences and increased competition between China and Australia’s principal ally, the United States.