CANBERRA, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Monday embarked on a trip to the United States, aiming to "reinforce" bilateral relationship.
In a statement released late Monday, Bishop said her upcoming meetings with U.S. officials would allow the two nations to "reinforce" their commitment to the bilateral relationship.
The foreign minister reaffirmed the Australian government's support for liberalized free trade, something Trump has been critical toward since he first campaigned for presidency in 2015.
"Australia is an open, liberal trading nation. Under the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA), two-way trade has grown to more than 53 billion US dollars in 2015-16 and two-way investment is worth 1.11 trillion US dollars," Bishop said.
"I will continue to make the case for free trade and open markets as drivers of jobs and growth."
Bishop will visit the United States from Feb. 20 to Feb. 22.
