China says it ready to work with Australia to improve relations as foreign ministers meet after years of tension
- The meeting between Penny Wong and Wang Yi marked the first time an Australian foreign minister had visited China since 2018
- The two sides said they should work to overcome differences on issues such as trade, human rights and security
China has said it is ready to reset relations with Australia as both sides agreed to step up talks on issues such as trade, security and human rights.
In a Chinese foreign ministry statement, Wang said lessons should be learned from previous “setbacks”, calling for the two sides to “set off” again.
“China appreciates the positive intention that the new Australian government has shown multiple times to improve and develop our bilateral relations,” Wang said.
“We should jointly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, take the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to reinstate our original intentions, calibrate the course, readjust and set off again, so as to promote the further improvement and sustainable development of bilateral relations.