Australian, Chinese top diplomats meet to discuss trade, human rights

Australia will prepare for a visit by China's Premier Li Qiang this year, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said after meeting her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Canberra for talks she said covered human rights, tariffs, regional security and pandas.

Australia and China, its largest trading partner, are rebuilding ties after a period of strained relations, which hit a low in 2020 after Canberra called for an independent investigation into the origin of COVID-19.

Beijing responded by imposing tariffs on billions of dollars worth of Australian commodity imports, most of which have been lifted since a change of government in Canberra two years ago.

"I look forward to speaking frankly with you about Australians detained in China, human rights, maritime security, and safety, as well as regional and international issues, such as the Pacific, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the conflict in the Middle East," Wong said in her opening remarks.

After the meeting, she addressed Chinese and Australian reporters and said the two nations would work to prepare for a visit by Li, emphasizing the importance of face-to-face diplomacy to better understand each other.

Australia and China would expand dialogue on the Pacific and climate and energy cooperation, Wong said.

"I expressed our serious concern about unsafe conduct at sea, our desire for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in our region," she said, a reference to friction with China's navy in the South China Sea.

While Beijing has made an interim decision to remove Chinese tariffs on Australian wine - one of the commodities hit by import charges after 2020 - Wong said Australia also wanted blocks lifted on beef and lobster, and they had discussed nickel market volatility.

Wong said she raised the case of Yang Hengjun, an Australian writer who was given a suspended death sentence by a Beijing court last month, and told Wang Australians were shocked by the sentence.

Reuters