Good morning. Australia’s deputy prime minister has met with China’s defence minister, US senators have reached a bipartisan gun control deal and pandemic health experts have been celebrated in the Queen’s birthday honours list.
Australia’s deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, has had a “frank” hour-long discussion with China’s defence minister in Singapore, marking the highest level in-person contact between the countries in almost three years. Marles, also the defence minister, said he raised the controversial interception of an Australian aircraft by a Chinese jet last month and broader issues in the Pacific with China’s minister of national defence, Wei Fenghe, during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue ministerial conference in Singapore. The event is notable because China has not allowed phone calls or meetings between Australian ministers and their direct counterparts since early 2020.
