Foreign Minister Penny Wong says it’s “very good” to be in China during the first official trip by an Aussie minister in 3 years. Wong met with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, during which she “advocated for a range of things”, including resolving “trade blockages”, which are currently impacting $20 billion worth of Aussie exports. Wong also raised human rights concerns for the Uyghur population, Tibet and Hong Kong, and “protested vigorously” about the ongoing detention of Aussie journalist Cheng Lei and writer Dr Yang Hengjun. While no concrete actions were determined, it shows a further easing of tensions with Beijing. In conjunction, PM Anthony Albanese tweeted a video yesterday marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the 2 nations saying, “Those links starting 50 years ago have delivered benefits to both our countries.”

And while we’re talking international relations… Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Washington DC today, where he’ll meet US President Joe Biden at the White House and address Congress. Zelensky’s first overseas trip since the Russian invasion began will also see Biden announce a new $3 billion arms package for Ukraine.