Australia has been let out of China’s deep freeze after Defence Minister Richard Marles met with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe for more than an hour on Sunday. The pair attended a security conference in Singapore and met for a “full and frank” discussion on rising tensions in the Pacific and the South China Sea. It’s the first face-to-face meeting between ministers from the 2 countries in almost 3 years. “Australia and China’s relationship is complex,” Marles said in the understatement of the year… He says that’s why it’s “really important that we are engaging in dialogue right now.” And while we’re talking about the mending of global bridges, the government has agreed to pay French shipbuilder Naval Group $830 million after the previous mob walked away from a submarine deal. PM Anthony Albanese says he hopes it’s now onwards and upwards for our relationship with France.