Australian and Chinese officials to hold critical trade negotiations in China next week

Stuart Ayres met with China’s vice-minister for commerce, Wang Shouwen, on Wednesday night – the pair’s second meeting after talks on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos in January (above). Photograph: Australian Government

Australian and Chinese officials will meet in Beijing next week in an effort to resolve continuing trade disputes between the two countries.

Australia’s assistant minister for trade, Tim Ayres, said the “highly technical discussions” loomed as the next opportunity for Australia to make progress with its largest trading partner.