No Hegemonic Intention in Pacific, Says China's Envoy as Beijing Nudges Australia to Improve Ties

Bilateral ties between Australia and China were negatively impacted by Canberra's decision to ban Huawei from its 5G network and demand an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19 in 2020.

On Wednesday, China's Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian said the change of government in Australia has offered a "possible opportunity to reset the relationship" after a period of difficulty.

However, he also suggested that more steps were needed to resolve political and trade disputes between the two nations.

The newly-appointed ambassador described the tensions that had erupted over the security pact with Solomon Island as a closed chapter and urged Australia to make a fresh start to improve ties.

"China has no intention to set up so-called military bases in the Solomon Islands. I think, should I say, the page has turned," the ambassador emphasized, adding Beijing wouldn't seek "hegemony, expansion or a sphere of influence in the Pacific."

Without expressly naming the US, the Chinese envoy asked Australia to make decisions free of the interference of "a third party" to develop bilateral relations.

Australia should cooperate with China, bilaterally or trilaterally or as part of larger groups, to stabilize the Pacific region, the envoy suggested.

Australia is a participant in several military alliances led by the US.

Last September, Australia signed a trilateral pact (AUKUS) with the US and the UK to receive technology to build nuclear submarines to counter "growing" threats in the Indo-Pacific.

On the question of the possibility of top leaders meeting at the G20 summit later this year in Bali, Indonesia, the ambassador did not rule it out. However, he indicated that it would take more effort at a lower level first.

"If you speak ill of me, why should I meet you? You've humiliated me publicly; should I meet you to be humiliated face-to-face again?" the ambassador said.

The two-year-long diplomatic freeze ended this year after the Scott Morrison government was voted out and Anthony Albanese took charge as Australia's new Prime Minister.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Australian counterpart Penny Wong on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Bali last month. It was the first such foreign ministers-level meet since 2019.

Australian PM Albanese has urged Beijing to lift import restrictions on coal and other imports from Canberra, saying that it is in the "interest" of both nations to do so.

Beijing has imposed higher import tariffs on Australian goods, including trade barriers for barley, wine, seafood, and coal, after a diplomatic row erupted between them in 2020.

Beijing's action was seen primarily as a response to Canberra's decision to ban Huawei from Australia's 5G network and demand an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19.

Australia is one of the few developed countries that enjoys a trade surplus with China, its largest trading partner.