By Joe Cash
BEIJING (Reuters) – China and Australia should “seriously consider” what they have learned from halting their high-level dialogue over the past three years, Li Zhaoxing, a former foreign minister, said on Thursday, as the talks restarted in Beijing.
The so-called Australia-China High-Level Dialogue, which does not include government ministers, had been held annually since 2014 as a platform to discuss issues of concern, but stopped in 2020 after Beijing placed curbs on dozens of Australian imports in response to Canberra questioning the origins of COVID-19.
China accounts for nearly one-third of Australian trade, while Australia is China’s eighth-largest trade partner.
Diplomatic exchanges have been ramping up since Australia elected a Labor government in May 2022 and China lifted tariffs on its barley exports. But Australia is still pushing for the removal of curbs on its lobster and wine exports and the release of two Australian journalists detained on national security charges.
“Whether China-Australia relations can improve and develop further depends on whether both sides perceive each other correctly,” Li told the Australian delegation, which is led by Craig Emerson, a former Australian trade minister.
“Over the past decades… China has not posed any threat to Australia, and will not do so in the future. I hope the Australian side will understand this,” Li added.
Trade, investment, regional and international security will be discussed, a statement from the office of Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Saturday, while calling the dialogue “another step in stabilising ties.”
The Australian delegation also includes former Liberal foreign minister Julie Bishop, whose inclusion was to show bipartisan political support, the statement said.
“I welcome the recent developments in the bilateral relationship, but we know there is more work to do… the timely and full resumption of normal trade is in the interests of both our countries,” said Emerson.
“We continue to advocate for positive progress on the cases of Australians detained in China,” he added.
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met China’s Premier Li Qiang in Jakarta on Thursday at the ASEAN Summit.
“I look forward to visiting China later this year to mark the 50th anniversary of Prime Minister Whitlam’s historic visit,” Albanese said in a statement after the meeting.
(Reporting by Joe Cash; Additional reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
