The heads of diplomacy from Australia and China yesterday strengthened bilateral relations, despite years of tension and disagreements over the Indo-Pacific region, trade and human rights
“Through the efforts of both sides, China and Australia have broken the ice and are sailing together once more, and exchanges and cooperation in many fields have been gradually restored,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a statement. communicated.
Wang, the first Chinese diplomat official to visit Australian territory since 2017, participated in the seventh Australia-China Strategic Dialogue, in Canberra, as part of measures to normalize bilateral relations.
Framed in a context of competition in the IndoPacific region between Beijing and Washington, the oceanic country’s partner. “Every time we meet, mutual trust is strengthened and China-Australia relations advance.
Strategic communication is positive and a step forward to dispel doubts and build trust”, considered Wang.
At the end of the meeting, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that the talks focused on Australians detained in China, human rights in the Chinese region of Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong, maritime and regional security, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Middle East.
Penny Wong highlighted the importance of respecting international law in the South China Sea, an area rich in resources and essential for international trade, the scene of territorial disputes between Beijing and countries in the region.
“I expressed our great concern regarding unsafe conduct at sea, our desire for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and in our region,” said Wong, at a press conference, at the end of the meeting with Wang.
The Chinese official stressed that Australia and China “have no historical disputes or conflicts” and “common interests far outweigh differences”, urging both parties to respect each other’s “national sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
In this context, Wong stated that Canberra seeks “a stable, productive and mature relationship with China”.
The two countries are preparing a visit to Australia by Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, on a date to be announced.
The Australian official also highlighted the steps taken by China, the main trading partner, in lifting tariffs on several Australian products imposed by Beijing in 2020, following a request made by the previous government of conservative Scott Morrison for an international investigation into the origin of Covid-19.
Beijing has been lifting trade restrictions on a series of products and bilateral relations have progressed since Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in power since May 2022, visited China in November.
“Predictability in business and commerce is in everyone’s interest,” Wong noted, looking forward to the resolution of “outstanding issues” such as the lifting of tariffs on Australian wine and lobster.
But one of the pressing questions for Australia that has remained unanswered is the plight of Chinese-born Australian writer Yang Hengjun, sentenced to death by a Chinese court on a suspended sentence for espionage last month.
“We will not abandon the defense of Yang Hengjun,” Wong promised. Wang’s trip began on Sunday in New Zealand and ends on Thursday in Australia.
