Good morning! Morning Minutes is a round-up of stories that will break on Tuesday, Dec 22, and which we think you'd be interested in.

It appears on weekdays, available by 7am.

US property market and GDP data out today

The United States government is expected to release today its final GDP figures for the third quarter of this year, along with data from the resale property market there. Initial estimates put gross domestic product growth to be about 1.5 per cent, lower than the expected 1.6 per cent. The resale market is also expected to show a slight uptick of about 0.5 per cent in the number of homes sold in November, compared to the same month last year.

China, South Korea to discuss exclusive economic zones

China and South Korea will hold talks aimed at resolving their dispute over overlapping exclusive economic zones. The talks between South Korean Second Vice-Foreign Minister Cho Tae Yul and Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin will be held in Seoul. South Korea wants the maritime border to be equidistant from the two countries' coastlines, while China claims it should be proportionate to the length of their respective coastlines.

Iraqi PM in China on goodwill visit

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi begins his two-day visit to China to improve bilateral cooperation in three fields - oil, infrastructure and military ties. In an interview with China's Xinhua news agency, Mr Abadi said that Iraq hoped that China would help the war-torn country to increase their oil production and exports, as well as to invest in Iraq's infrastructure. He also reiterated his request for more international assistance for Iraq against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.