Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

It is a good question. Next month, China will be hosting the fifth Australia-China high-level dialogue, another initiative of this government to further develop and deepen our relationship. I'm pleased to advise that former Prime Minister John Howard will lead the Australian delegation to this year's dialogue on 7 December. The high-level dialogue brings together senior Australian and Chinese leaders from across government, business, academia, media and the arts to discuss key aspects of the bilateral relationship, which will include diplomatic, trade and economic relations, those people-to-people links of which I spoke earlier, and international and regional cooperation. This year's meeting will also coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Australia-China Council, another element of the Australia-China relationship. It was established by Malcolm Fraser in 1978 and is a further example of our long-term commitment to the development and depth of this relationship.