‘Fluid’: Meeting with China not yet locked in, Penny Wong says

A meeting between the Foreign Minister and her Chinese counterpart isn’t locked in just yet despite the fact he’ll be meeting with the US.

Penny Wong has flagged her intentions to make her views on Russia’s “illegal and immoral” invasion of Ukraine clear when the G20 foreign ministers meet in Bali.

Russia, which has been largely shunned by the international community, remains a member of the G20.

Senator Wong is set to come face-to-face with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov during the meeting in Indonesia.

Speaking to reporters, the Foreign Minister said Russia would be the focus of the talks and called on the rest of the G20 to make their views known.

Ms Wong is at the G20 meeting in Indonesia. Picture: The Australian / Joshua Paul

“If you ever wanted an example of a nation which has chosen to denigrate and weaken multilateralism, if you ever want an example of a nation which has demonstrated its disregard for the need for food security for a world recovering from a pandemic, it is Russia,” she said.

“It is Russia in its persistent refusal to comply with the UN Charter and international law and its illegal, immoral invasion of Ukraine.

“We will be making that clear at the G20 and I’m sure others will do so, too.”

There had been some speculation Senator Wong could meet with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the G20.

Senator Wong signalled she was open to meeting Wang Yi at the upcoming G20 foreign ministers meeting but warned any diplomatic improvements would require Beijing to scrap its “coercive” trade sanctions.

If the meeting went ahead, it would be the first between Beijing and Canberra’s foreign ministers since 2019.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has signalled she is prepared to meet her Chinese counterpart at a G20 foreign ministers meeting next week. Picture: DFAT / Sarah Friend

Asked if that meeting had been locked in, she responded the schedule was “fluid”.

“We are willing to engage and that willingness extends to any meetings in the margins of the G20,” Senator Wong said.

It follows confirmation US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will hold talks with Mr Wang.

The opposition’s home affairs spokeswoman, Karen Andrews, said from a trade perspective, it was “very important” to have a strong relationship with China.

“It would clearly be in Australia’s best interest for its relationship with China to stabilise,” Ms Andrews said.

If the meeting were to go ahead, it would be the first time foreign ministers form Canberra and Beijing had spoken since 2019 – before the trade tensions escalated. Picture: Jam Sta Rosa / Pool / AFP

“Is there going to be a reset? Who really knows at this point in time, but it was good to hear the Foreign Minister clearly say she is open to that.

“When we were in government, we were making it very clear that we were looking for diplomatic resolutions to the situation with China, so time will tell.

“Hopefully, there will be a reset of the relationship and trade will be as strong as it has traditionally been with China.”