China: What's really behind the 'thaw' in relations with Australia?
2018-11-06 10:36:11 source：ABC Australia
November 6, 2018
It has been a rare good week for Australia's China-based diplomats.
Not only has Trade Minister Simon Birmingham made his first official visit to Shanghai, but Foreign Minister Marise Payne also announced she would visit Beijing, breaking a year-long ministerial freeze imposed by China's Government.
Such regular trips by high-profile ministers were once common, but they have been delayed, scuttled or scaled down over the past two years as China's anger over allegations of Communist Party influence in Australia resulted in an unofficial policy to put Australia in the doghouse.
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