Albanese and Wong evoke Whitlam in bid to defrost China relations
by Katharine Murphy Political editor in Beijing from World news | The Guardian on (#6G56V)
Labor duo shrug off Arctic weather in Beijing to use re-enactment of their hero's famous 1973 photo op to plot a new course out of the cold
Australia's relationship with China has been stuck in the bottom compartment of the diplomatic deep freezer since 2020. Given this, it seemed appropriate that Arctic weather heralded the arrival of Anthony Albanese to the Temple of Heaven on Monday morning.
When I say Arctic weather, it was cold enough to snap-freeze extremities. The wind ripped across the World Heritage site, sand-blasting rows of ceremonial chrysanthemums and threatening to upend a prime ministerial lectern. One Australian reporter, minus a coat, enfolded himself in bubble wrap to try and maintain some body heat.
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