Complete record of publicly available direct contact (i.e., in person or calls) between Canberra and Beijing at the ministerial level and above in the foreign affairs, trade, and defence portfolios since January 2020:
- 29 January 2020, Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks via telephone with Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne.
- 11 June 2022, Minister for Defence Richard Marles meets Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
- 8 July 2022, Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong meets Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi at the conclusion of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Bali. (The Chinese government’s readout of this meeting is available in Chinese and English.)
- 22 September 2022, Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong meets Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi on the margins of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. (The Chinese government’s readout of this meeting is available in Chinese and English.)
- 8 November 2022, Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi speak via telephone. (The Chinese government’s readout of this meeting is also available in Chinese. The Australian government did not release a formal readout of this meeting.)
- 12 November 2022, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets Premier Li Keqiang on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh. (The Chinese government’s readout of this meeting is available in Chinese and English. The Australian government did not release a formal readout of this meeting.)
- 15 November 2022, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 in Bali. (The Chinese government’s readout of this meeting is available in Chinese and English.)
- 22 November 2022, Minister for Defence Richard Marles meets Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe ahead of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus in Siem Reap.
- 21 December 2022, Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong meets Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi in Beijing for the Sixth Australia-China Foreign and Strategic Dialogue. (The Chinese government’s readout of this meeting is available in Chinese and English.)
- 6 February 2023, Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell has a video call with Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao. (The Chinese government’s readout of this meeting is available in English and Chinese.)
- 2 March 2023, Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong meets Minister of Foreign Affairs Qin Gang in New Delhi on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting. (The Chinese government’s readout of this meeting is available in Chinese and English.)
Select * indirect contact (i.e., letters) between Canberra and Beijing at the ministerial level and above in the foreign affairs, trade, and defence portfolios since January 2020:
- 23 May 2022, Premier Li Keqiang sends a congratulatory message to newly elected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
- Circa May-July 2022, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao sends congratulatory letter to Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell.
- December 2022, President Xi Jinping exchanges congratulatory messages with Governor-General David Hurley.
- December 2022, President Xi Jinping exchanges congratulatory messages with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Select * other examples of high-level contact between Canberra and Beijing in other portfolios and below the ministerial level since January 2020:
- 14 June 2022, National Secretary of the Australian Labor Party Paul Erickson meets China’s Ambassador to AustraliaXiao Qian.
- 30 June 2022, Australian Ambassador to China Graham Hugh Fletcher meets Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng.
- 9 November 2022, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton meets China’s Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian.
- 30 November 2022, Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell meets informally with China’s Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian.
- November 2022, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen meets Special Envoy for Climate Change Xie Zhenhua in Sharm El Sheikh on the sidelines of COP27.
- 17 December 2022, Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek meets Minister of Ecology and the Environment Huang Runqiu at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal.
- 20 January 2023, Assistant Minister for Trade Tim Ayres meets Vice-Minister for Commerce Wang Shouwen in Davos. (Meeting also referenced by Prime Minister Albanese.)
- 17 February 2023, Australian Ambassador to China Graham Hugh Fletcher meets Head of the Chinese Communist Party International Department Minister Liu Jianchao.
- 30 March 2023, Assistant Minister for Trade Tim Ayres meets Vice-Minister for Commerce Wang Shouwen at the Bo’ao Forum. (Minster Ayres’ press release from his Bo’ao Forum visit is available here.)
- 12 April 2023, Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Jan Adams meets Executive Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ma Zhaoxu in Canberra.
- 17 April 2023, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Senator Murray Watt meets Vice Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs Ma Youxiang in Canberra. (Minister Watt also tweeted about the meeting.)
* NB not a complete record of such engagement.