Today I co-chaired the 17th Joint Ministerial Economic Commission (JMEC) virtually from Adelaide with my Chinese counterpart, Minister of Commerce, Wang Wentao. The meeting was the seventh occasion that Minister Wang and I have met since February 2023. We welcomed progress in our bilateral trade relationship over that period. Australian coal, cotton, copper ores and concentrates, timber logs, oaten hay, barley and most recently bottled wine, have returned to the Chinese market. Student and tourist numbers and official and business delegations are increasing. I reiterated our firm commitment to rules-based trade and I ... (full story)