113 Australian envoys to huddle Down Under

New trade and foreign policy to be chalked out

Australia will call home all of its overseas ambassadors for a meeting, foreign minister Julie Bishop said on Wednesday, as it reshapes its foreign policy to balance ties with longtime ally the United States and China, its largest trading partner.

It is the first time Australia has brought together all of its top diplomats from their 113 missions around the world. The aim is to draw up a “white paper” to guide Australian diplomacy for the next decade, the first document of its kind since 2003.

“At a time of significant global uncertainty, it is vital that Australia harnesses the experience and intellect of our most senior diplomats,” Ms Bishop said in a statement.

She said the meeting later this month would focus on a broad reset of Australia’s approach to international relations and trade.

Australia’s relations with China have been strained recently by a pushback against foreign investment by an increasingly conservative Parliament in Canberra.

It also hit a low point in its relationship with the At a time of significant global uncertainty, it is vital that Australia harnesses the experience and intellect of its most senior diplomats

Julie Bishop, US after a rancorous phone call between Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and new US President Donald Trump, during which they clashed over a planned refugee swap.

Kim Beazley, Australia’s former ambassador to the US and a former leader of the opposition Labor Party, said the US relationship was vital, not only because of their longstanding strategic alliance but also because of the

It is the first time that Australia has brought together its top diplomats from 113 missions around the world

The aim is to draw up a White Paper’ to guide the Australian diplomacy for the next decade

It is the first document of its kind since 2003

Australia’s ties with China strained recently

amount of investment plowed into Australia. “I am more worried in economic terms about Trump discouraging American investment globally than I am about the possibilities of a trade war between the US and China,” he said.

The ambassadors will meet in Canberra for two days with Mr Turnbull, Ms Bishop and Trade Minister Steven Ciobo, with the white paper scheduled to be delivered around the middle of by a pushback against foreign investment by a conservative Parliament in Canberra

The country’s ties with the US hit a low after a phone call between PM Malcolm Turnbull and Donald Trump

The two clashed over a planned refugee swap

Experts feel US ties are vital due to investment plowed into Australia

the year.

Alexandra Oliver, lead researcher on Australia’s white paper at Sydneybased think tank the Lowy Institute, said a global political shift had challenged traditional foreign policy-making. “Concerns about immigration, terrorism, about globalisation, global free trade — all of those assumptions that we have held to be for the common global good are in question now,” Ms Oliver said.