Beijing’s Foreign Minister Seeks Meeting With Former Australian Prime Minister

Former Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating arrives at the National Memorial Service for Queen Elizabeth II at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on Sept. 22, 2022. Martin Ollman/Getty Images

Beijing’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, a high-ranking member of China’s ruling communist party, has sought a meeting with former Australian Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating in a move that could run contrary to the Albanese government’s diplomatic agenda this week.

It is also at odds with Beijing’s claim that the trip is intended to send “positive signals” about the relationship between the two countries.

The move is illustrative of Beijing’s strategy of eroding bipartisan support in Australia for the AUKUS pact and efforts to work with other countries to stop the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from dominating the region.

Mr. Keating is a regular and outspoken critic of Labor’s current foreign policy and of Foreign Minister Senator Penny Wong personally.

He has said many times that he is opposed to AUKUS, prompting a strong response from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. However, his remarks are always well received in Beijing, which has described him as a “voice of reason.”

Mr. Wang is in Canberra for the China-Australia Foreign and Strategic Dialogue with Ms. Wong. At stake are issues such as Chinese tariffs on Australian wine, beef and live lobster exports, as well as geopolitical questions such as Beijing’s response to Australia’s membership of AUKUS.

Death Sentence

The meeting will likely take place in Sydney on Thursday, the day after Mr. Wang’s meeting in Canberra with Senator Wong and a separate meeting with Mr. Albanese.

Ms. Wong is expected to seek leniency for Yang Hengjun, the Australian who was given a suspended death sentence in February, and to talk climate change cooperation and green energy transition.

Australian writer Yang Hengjun wishes Happy New Year to his Twitter followers at an unidentified location in this still image from an undated video obtained via social media. Twitter@yanghengjun via Reuters

Mr. Wang arrived in New Zealand late on Sunday—the first by a foreign minister from Beijing in seven years.

Though all of his engagements are scheduled to take place behind closed doors, observers said that Wellington’s interest in joining the non-nuclear second pillar of AUKUS would likely dominate his meetings with his New Zealand counterpart, Winston Peters, and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

Beijing has warned New Zealand to “think twice” before going down the “dangerous path” of joining the agreement. That was enough to prompt the NZ Labour Party to drop its support for AUKUS.

Beijing has previously played wedge politics with the NZ-Australia relationship, at a time when the Coalition took a much harder line.  In mid-2021, its foreign ministry praised the Ardern government for its ’mutual respect“ while characterising the Morrison government as ”insane.”

Trans-Tasman Coordination

That will likely be more difficult now, as the Albanese and Luxon governments appear to be more closely coordinating their strategy toward the Asian superpower and the Pacific.

Mr. Luxon supported Senator Wong after Mr. Keating accused her of “can rattling” in her speech at the ASEAN-Australia summit in Melbourne.

The New Zealand prime minister, who was also at the summit, said it was an “excellent speech” that promoted peace and stability in the region.

“She’s right. If we can get all parties, where there’s tension, to actually follow the rules that keeps us all safe,” Mr. Luxon said.

Assuming the meeting goes ahead, it would not be the first time Mr. Keating has met with CCP officials.

Weeks after the Albanese government was elected, he sat down at his home in Potts Point, Sydney, with Beijing’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian.

Meanwhile, Mr. Albanese is expected to formally invite Chinese Premier Li Qiang to Australia to mark the 10th anniversary of CCP leader Xi Jinping’s state visit to Australia, during which he addressed the federal parliament, signed a free-trade agreement, and upgraded the bilateral relationship to a “comprehensive strategic partnership.”

Much of Mr. Wang’s visit will focus on creating a receptive environment for the premier, who is expected to arrive in June or July.