Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has high hopes that the Chinese communist regime will soon remove trade restrictions on Australian wine. This comes after the World Trade Organisation (WTO) handed down a report on Australia’s complaint about Beijing’s punitive tariffs to both sides. However, the report has not been made public as the two countries need some time to consider the findings. During a press conference, the prime minister was optimistic about the prospect of a resolution to China’s wine tariffs. “I’m very hopeful of a breakthrough that removes the impediments when it comes to wine,” he told reporters....Read more https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/australian-pm-optimistic-about-china-lifting-wine-tariffs-5513117
The Australian Labor government has decided to not overturn a contentious 99-year lease held by Chinese company Landbridge over the Port of Darwin. The decision comes after a review by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, which said there were sufficient security measures to manage and protect the infrastructure. “The review found that there is a robust regulatory system in place to manage risks to critical infrastructure, including the Port of Darwin; existing monitoring mechanisms are sufficient and will be ongoing; and as a result, it was not necessary to vary or cancel the lease,” the Department said in a statement on Oct. 20.... 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is “on the way” to Israel for discussions with locals and officials following recent incidents in the Middle East. “I’ll be meeting with those impacted by the horrific terrorist attacks and offering California’s support,” Mr. Newsom wrote Oct. 19 on X, formerly known as Twitter. Mr. Newsom’s office declined to comment, and other than the social media post, no official statement or press release was issued regarding the surprise trip. It is unclear how long the governor will be in the Middle East or if he will return to California before traveling to China for a week-long trip, where he is scheduled to lead a delegation starting Oct. 23....
Since falling into a debt crisis, giant Chinese private property developer Country Garden announced on Oct. 10 that it has HK$470 million (about US$60 million) due and is expected to be unable to fulfill repayment of all foreign debts even in the grace period. According to the announcement, Country Garden has hired high-profile law firm Sidley Austin LLP to assess the company’s capital structure and liquidity position to formulate an overall solution. The move means that Country Garden’s overseas debt restructuring work has been officially launched. The company said that it hopes to fully resolve its current offshore debt crisis....