Jailed Australians’ plight raised
The Albanese government is pushing for the resumption of annual leaders’ meetings between Australia and China as well as the return of regular trade talks following Wong’s visit to Beijing.
The reboot of annual bilateral trade and economic talks,following the foreign minister’s dialogue,could provide a crucial forum for Australia to work with its largest trading partner on the removal of tariffs on $20 billion worth of Australian exports.
In the first visit to China by an Australian minister in three years,Wong used her meeting with Xi Jinping’s foreign minister to urge Beijing to lift trade sanctions on Australian goods worth $20 billion and to raise the case of two Australians detained in China – journalist Cheng Lei and writer Yang Hengjun.
At a press conference after the meeting,Wong said she called for Cheng and Yang to be reunited with their families “as soon as possible”.
“We advocate for a range of things,” Wong said. “They include for those Australians to be reunited with their families as soon as possible,but we also advocate for the observance of consular agreements.”
Wong also acknowledged the heightened global tensions between China and its rival superpower,Australia’s close ally the United States.
The meeting received the endorsement of Xi before talks began,signalling China is placing a high priority on advancing negotiations out of more than three years of tension.
In an exchange of messages with Governor-General David Hurley to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations,Xi said he attached “great importance to the development of China-Australia relations”.
“And I am willing to work with Australia to take the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity;adhere to the principles of mutual respect,mutual benefit and win-win results;promote the sustainable development of China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership;and continue to benefit the two countries and the two peoples.”
Global tensions,diplomatic challenges
Reflecting on the 50th anniversary of the two nations establishing formal diplomatic ties,Wong said “that was a time when nations worked together to prevent geopolitical competition from descending into conflict and chaos. Fifty years on,we again find ourselves facing great challenges”,citing both climate change and COVID,and calling for dialogue “to manage these challenges”.
Wong noted when they last met,Wang said a sound China-Australia relationship was not in contradiction with safeguarding national interests.
In his opening remarks,Wang also spoke of the difficulties between Australia and China in recent years.
“In the last few years,our relationship has encountered difficulties and setbacks,” Wang said. “This is what we do not want to see. The lessons must be learned.”
“As important countries in the Asia-Pacific,we have highly complementary economic structures,” Wang said,insisting there was “no historical grievance,or fundamental conflicts of interests between our two countries”.
Social distancing diplomacy
Wong’s trip to Beijing is the first ministerial visit since former trade minister Simon Birmingham travelled to China in November 2019.
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The talks were held as Beijing braced for another difficult winter with a massive wave of COVID sweeping the country,which long-held a COVID-zero policy.
Flanked by the Chinese and Australian flags,Wang greeted Wong on a red carpet outside a villa at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse,before the two foreign ministers shook hands and posed for photographs.
The talks were held in a flower-bedecked room where long tables were set two metres apart in keeping with social-distancing regulations.
Australia’s ambassador to China,Graham Fletcher,said he is “protesting vigorously” against a ban on consular visits to jailed citizens in China introduced as lockdown restrictions have returned.
Diplomats have not been able to visit detainees like Australian Chinese journalist Cheng Lei and writer Dr Yang Hengjun since September after China enforced a total ban on consular access for all countries to prisoners due to a surge in COVID cases.
“At the moment because China is experiencing a (COVID) surge,it has unfortunately stopped regular (consular) access to all prisoners ... for all countries. We are protesting vigorously about that,” he said.
Continuing talks
Commenting on the future directions for the bilateral relationship,Fletcher said he would like Wong’s meeting with Wang to be followed by the return of an annual leaders’ meeting between the premier of China and Australian prime minister.
The last official annual leaders’ meeting was in November 2019,when Scott Morrison met Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Bangkok.
“But another key element is the Strategic Economic Dialogue,which brings the treasurer and the trade minister together with their counterparts here,” Fletcher added.
The ambassador said that in recent years “China has learned that Australia has a sense of itself and a national interest”.
This masthead reported earlier this week that Wong’s visit was expected to produce an agreement to restore a series of regular bilateral policy dialogues that have been suspended since China essentially cut off all high-level contact with Australia.
Wong is the first foreign minister to travel to China since Marise Payne in 2018 after years of increasing hostility over human rights,national security,trade strikes and COVID-19 led Beijing to shut off all high-level contact between the nations.
After their meeting,Wong and Wang were due to take part in a ceremony and dinner to mark the anniversary.
In a joint statement released after the meeting,the two foreign ministers said they agreed to further talks on trade,climate change and defence. They would also support high-level delegations of business executives and senior officials.
“50 years on from the establishment of diplomatic ties,the two sides reiterated the importance of a stable,constructive relationship to both sides,the region and the world,” the statement said.