Talks between Foreign Minister Penny Wong and her Chinese counterpart are set to re-energise diplomatic ties between the two nations, according to foreign policy experts.
Senator Wong will be in China on Wednesday to meet with Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi for the sixth Australia-China Foreign and Strategic Dialogue.
It will be the first time in four years an Australian foreign minister has been invited to Beijing for bilateral discussions.
The visit will coincide with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and China which began under the Whitlam Labor government in 1972.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Senator Wong said in a joint statement the talks would be a critical opportunity.
“Trade between Australia and China, as well as strong people-to-people, cultural and business links have delivered significant benefits to both our countries,” they said.
“Australia seeks a stable relationship with China. We will co-operate where we can, disagree where we must and engage in the national interest.”
The resumption of ministerial-level engagement follows one-on-one discussions between Mr Albanese and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the sidelines of the G20 summit in November.
Lowy Institute Research fellow Jennifer Hsu said the resumption of diplomatic dialogue was a welcome development.
“We can … see the wheels starting to move with regards to a number of issues pertaining to Australia and China,” Dr Hsu told AAP.
“This is definitely a very positive move … it would be great if a breakthrough happens but these things take time. There are certainly processes that need to be set in motion.”
Trade sanctions imposed by China on Australian products like wine and barley are expected to be high on the agenda.
Australia has been pushing for the removal of the sanctions since they were imposed on Australian goods since 2020.
In an opinion piece published in The Australian on Tuesday, Mr Albanese stressed the importance of the trade relationship.
“Just as it is clearly in Australia’s best economic interests to be able to export our high-quality barley, wine, meat, seafood, resources and more to China, it is also clearly in China’s best interests to receive these goods,” he said.
Dr Hsu said the resumption of talks could lead to some of the sanctions being removed, noting that their relaxation could help China’s economic situation.
“One of the big issues for China internally is the economic downturn that it has suffered as a result of zero-COVID measures,” she said.
“Needing to secure resources for economic development and production is one of the key drivers for growth.”
The fate of Australians detained in China, including journalist Cheng Lei, is also expected to be discussed at the foreign minister talks.
Dr Hsu said a change of government in Australia had been one of the catalysts for talks resuming.
“Under the previous government, we heard lots of strong muscular language around bilateral relations and that didn’t help the cause and that megaphone diplomacy didn’t resonate well with counterparts in Beijing,” she said.
Nationals Senator Matt Canavan said with the economic sanctions remaining in place, there had been no real reset in the relationship.
“We haven’t really moved one iota apart from some meetings yet … I’m not going to be holding my breath,” he told Sky News.
“There should be no quid pro quo, that would be a very dangerous precedent for our country, to allow another nation to bully us to change our policies.
“What we really need to do is diversify away from China, it’s not safe to do business in China anymore, given their conduct last few years, and no meeting is going to change that record.”
© AAP 2022
