17th Joint Ministerial Economic Commission meeting between Australia and China

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 pressed for remaining trade impediments affecting our hard-hit live rock lobster industry, and red meat export establishments to be resolved as soon as possible.

We agreed on the value of the China–Australia Free Trade Agreement, which underpins bilateral trading relations.

We discussed areas of shared interest, including WTO reform, paperless trade, and climate change.

I look forward to welcoming Minister Wang to Australia soon, so that we can continue productive discussions.

Media note: Imagery of opening remarks