China Cracks Open the Door to Improved Ties With Australia and South Korea

MIN READJan 24, 2023 | 22:17 GMT

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong (left) bumps elbows with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the G-20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Bali, Indonesia, on July 8, 2022.

(JOHANNES P. CHRISTO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The easing of Chinese restrictions on Australian and South Korean exports signals that Beijing is looking to repair economic relations with two key trade partners and slow the creation of a Western-led anti-China coalition in the region. China appears to be extending olive branches to two of its regional rivals after new governments in Canberra and Seoul took office last year. On Jan. 12, Chinese officials in Guangzhou allowed domestic firms to resume importing Australian coal, which had been banned since 2020. On Nov. 22, the Chinese streaming site Tencent also screened a South Korean drama for the first time in five years. Together, these two actions mark a shift in China's approach toward repairing some economic relations that have been damaged in recent years....