China’s top diplomat urges Australia to drop ‘groundless suspicions’ to return ties to health
Foreign minister Wang Yi and Julie Bishop have ‘positive’ meeting at regional forum amid claims the Beijing is meddling in Australian affairs
A senior Chinese diplomat said on Saturday that China hoped Australia would not voice “groundless suspicions” so that ties between the two countries could return to health and stability.
Relations soured last year when Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull accused Beijing of meddling in Australian affairs – including the media, universities and politics. China has denied the charges.
A schedule for Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to visit China for a series of meetings held regularly since 2014 has yet to be agreed, despite Australia proposing dates in May and the process usually taking weeks, sources told Reuters on Wednesday.
“We hope that, through the efforts of both sides, we can soon return bilateral relations to a healthy and stable development track,” Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi said at a regional forum in Singapore after a meeting with Bishop.
“To achieve this, we hope that Australia can do more that is in the interest of increasing mutual trust between the two countries, and not be groundlessly suspicious.”
Both sides agreed to make efforts to improve relations and had also exchanged views about trade protectionism, the South China Sea and North Korea, he added.