Australia's current prime minister is heading to China this weekend in a visit that's being watched not only in Australia but also in the United States.
For decades, trade and regional security defined much of the Australian-Chinese relationship.
However, COVID-19 came into the picture in 2020 as Australia called for an independent inquiry into the origins of the virus, leading China to react with economic fury.
China slapped tariffs on Australian products from grains to wine at a cost the Australian government put at nearly $13 billion.
Many of those tariffs are gone now, but some still linger. That will be part of the agenda of the four-day visit of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese — including a meeting with President Xi Jinping.
Economic ties have grown since the last visit of an Australian prime minister — with Australia’s exports to China more than doubling in that time.
In fact, Australia's government says trade with China now amounts to nearly a third of Australia's total trade around the world.
The regional security piece also reflects Australia's close ties with the United States.
A little more than a week ago, Albanese was in Washington, D.C., meeting with President Biden.
And it was shortly before he touched down in the United States that the Prime Minister announced his next presidential meeting would be this week — traveling to Beijing.
