Australian FM to Visit China Amid Hopes For Reset Between Beijing and Canberra

While ties between Australia and China hit a low under former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who urged for an independent probe into the origins of COVID-19 in 2020, bilateral relations took more hits following the unveiling of the trilateral AUKUS arrangement, which Beijing slammed as intended to incite an “arms race” in the Asia-Pacific region.

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong will visit China from December 20 to 21 at the invitation of State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, a joint statement from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and FM Wong announced on Monday.

"China has grown to become one of the world’s largest economies and Australia’s largest trading partner... Trade between Australia and China, as well as strong people-to-people, cultural and business links, have delivered significant benefits to both our countries,” the statement emphasized.

“Australia seeks a stable relationship with China; we will co-operate where we can, disagree where we must and engage in the national interest,” Albanese added.

The two sides will hold a new round of China-Australia diplomatic and strategic dialogue aimed at facilitating the implementation of the consensus reached by the Chinese and Australian leaders during their meeting in Bali, Indonesia, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, in turn, said at a daily press briefing.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with China’s President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, in mid-November. However, no headway has been made since then to improve bilateral relations, which have been marred by years of diplomatic tension.

Referencing the 50th anniversary of Beijing-Canberra diplomatic relations, marked on December 21, Ning underscored that the upcoming visit of the Australian foreign minister could offer an opportunity for the two sides to "seek common ground," while "shelving differences," enhancing and strengthening dialogue as well as managing differences.

China voiced hope that by adhering to the principles of "mutual respect and mutual benefit," bilateral relations could be brought back on the" right track of sustainable development."

'Reset Hopes'

The upcoming meeting has raised the possibility of an improvement, or "reset," in relations between Australia and its most valuable trading partner - China.

Australia was accused by China of taking the first step towards declining relations between the countries when it banned Chinese-owned telecommunications giant Huawei from rolling out the country’s 5G network, ostensibly due to security concerns. The dispute escalated in 2020 after a call by former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, which rankled with Beijing. A host of tariffs and export restrictions followed, with China imposing higher import tariffs on Australian goods, including trade barriers for barley, wine, seafood, and coal.

Canberra’s membership of the US-led AUKUS alliance launched last September was also slammed by China as creating serious risks of proliferation of nuclear weapons, escalating the regional arms race, and undermining peace and stability in the region.

Tensions were also stoked by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in early August. After a delegation of Australian parliamentarians arrived in Taiwan for a five-day working visit at the start of December, Canberra was urged to "earnestly adhere to the one-China principle, stop all forms of official interaction with the Taiwan region and stop sending wrong signals to 'Taiwan-independence' separatist forces."

Hopes for an end to the diplomatic freeze in ties between Canberra and Beijing were first triggered after Anthony Albanese took charge as Australia's new prime minister.

During his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali, Albanese called for lifting the trade sanctions, which have resulted in billions of dollars’ worth of losses for Australian exporters.