Australia hosts Chinese FM, sees potential for stability in ties

China and Australia claim to have stabilised long-strained relations after talks in Canberra, despite evident tensions over a host of issues.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Australia on Wednesday for the first time since 2017, marking a diplomatic thaw between two trading partners who have sparred over everything from the origins of Covid-19 to military deployments.

Wang said recent efforts to mend relations had "broken the ice" and that "mutual trust" and "good momentum" were slowly building in the relationship.

"The most crucial thing is to persist in seeking common ground while reserving differences," he said.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said it was crucial to recognise "how much progress we have made in a short period of time".

Despite praising the renewed "stability" between Beijing and Canberra, Wong also hinted at several ongoing points of friction.

"We discussed the sentencing of Dr Yang Hengjun. I told the foreign minister that Australians were shocked at the sentence imposed," she said.

Jailed Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun — also known as Yang Jun — was in February handed a suspended death sentence after a Beijing court found him guilty of espionage. He vehemently denies the charges.

Protesters gathered on the lawns of Australia's parliament as the foreign ministers met inside, drawing attention to alleged human rights abuses within China.

Trade restrictions

Australia's relationship with China began unravelling in 2018 when it excluded telecommunications giant Huawei from its 5G network on security grounds.

Then, in 2020, Australia called for an international investigation into the origins of Covid-19 — an action China saw as politically motivated.

In response, Beijing slapped trade restrictions on a slew of Australian exports, including barley, beef and wine, while halting its coal imports.

Most of those barriers have been gradually wound back as relations have been repaired, although restrictions remain on Australian wine exports.

Wang said a final decision on wine tariffs would be made at the end of the month, signalling restrictions could soon be lifted.