Australia trade minister seeks to mend ties on visit to China

BEIJING (AP) — Australian Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell has held meetings and visited businesses in Beijing in a sign of progress in restoring a nearly decade-long rift in relations with China. In Sydney, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday that the two sides need to “develop understanding and dialogue and I’ve said we’ll co-operate with China where we can, we’ll disagree where we must, and we’ll engage in a national interest.” China is Australia’s biggest trading partner, with two-way trade totaling $287 billion in 2022. China recently resumed imports of Australian coal, cotton and copper, and Farrell has said he will push for a review of tariffs on Australian barley.