On 21 August, Australian officials held annual consular consultations with Chinese officials in Beijing. The talks were last held in 2018.

We welcomed the resumption of talks, an outcome agreed by Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Foreign Minister Wang Yi following the Sixth Foreign and Strategic Dialogue in December 2022.

The talks were an opportunity to advocate for matters of importance to Australia, including the interests and welfare of Australians detained in China, and the safety and well-being of Australians who live in and travel to China.

We also discussed visa issues and our respective approaches to crisis preparation and response.