Australia will urge China to lift trade sanctions: Foreign minister
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The two sides will hold a new round of China-Australia diplomatic and strategic dialogue.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SYDNEY - Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Tuesday she would push for trade sanctions to be lifted and for consular access to two detained Australians during a trip to Beijing that’s aimed at mending strained diplomatic ties.
But Ms Wong, who is expected to meet counterpart Wang Yi on Wednesday, tempered expectations of any immediate breakthrough.
“Many of the hard issues in the relationship will take time to resolve in our interests,” Ms Wong said during a media briefing before leaving for China. “This will take time, but I do see this visit as another step in the road.”
Ms Wong’s visit is the first by an Australian minister since 2019 and will mark the first formal talks in Beijing between the two nations’ top diplomats since 2018. Ms Wong is visiting at the invitation of the Chinese foreign minister.
Ms Wong on Tuesday also urged the release of citizens held in China. Australian journalist Cheng Lei was detained by Chinese authorities in August 2020, and Chinese-born Australian Yang Jun was detained in January 2019.
She said their release would remove one obstacle to improving relations between the two countries.
“I think that it would be beneficial not just for the individuals, which is I think important in its own right, but it would be beneficial to the relationship for those consular matters to be dealt with,” she said.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Mao Ning earlier said that the two sides will hold a new round of China-Australia diplomatic and strategic dialogue.
It is hoped that the visit will facilitate the implementation of key consensus reached by the Chinese and Australian leaders during their meeting in Bali, Indonesia, Ms Mao said at a daily press briefing in Beijing on Monday.
As Dec 21 this year marks the 50th anniversary of the China-Australia diplomatic relations, Ms Mao said the visit can serve as an opportunity for the two sides to strengthen dialogue, expand cooperation, manage differences and bring bilateral relations back on the right track of sustainable development.
Besides the detentions, the two countries have sparred over political and moral issues – notably Chinese influence operations overseas, rights abuses in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet, and America’s role in the Asia-Pacific region.
China’s leaders were incensed by Australia’s decision to effectively ban state-sanctioned firm Huawei from operating the country’s 5-G network, and by calls from Canberra to investigate the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In retaliation, China slapped sanctions on a range of Australian goods and instituted a freeze on high-level contacts. The frosty relations only ended when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bali in November.
But the economic sanctions remain, and while Australia has made clear it would like to see them lifted, experts are doubtful that ties will improve quickly or dramatically.
China is Australia’s largest trading partner, and Australia still provides many of the ores, metals and minerals that fuel China’s economic growth. REUTERS, XINHUA, AFP
