BEIJING: China’s foreign minister will meet with Julie Bishop during a visit to Australia next week. Wang Yi will hold talks with his Australian counterpart when he visits Australia and New Zealand from February 7 to 10. “Visiting Australia and New Zealand at the beginning of the Chinese New Year highlights the importance China gives to growing relations with these two countries,” China foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Saturday.
The trip comes amid simmering global tensions over the South China Sea, with some Trump administration officials recently ramping up rhetoric around denying China access to its artificial and militarised islands. “We are also committed to maintaining peace and stability of the relevant areas alongside regional countries,” Lu Kang said. “We hope non-regional countries can respect the common interests and aspirations of regional countries and help preserve a peaceful, stable and secure environment for the region, since it serves the interests of all parties.”
