China’s Ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, said that China’s bilateral economic and trade relations with Australia currently “face an important window of opportunity.”
Window of Opportunity
In an exclusive interview with Chinese media house Global Times (GT), Xiao said that the two countries’ relations “have significantly improved and stabilised.” To this end, he noted that cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, science and technology, education, military affairs, agriculture, law enforcement, and local government cooperation is also gradually restarting.
“At present, China-Australia economic and trade relations are facing an important window period,” the diplomat said, referring to Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell’s visit to China on Thursday.
“Trade ministers will conduct in-depth exchanges on issues of mutual and common concern and discuss future cooperation. I look forward to Farrell’s visit to China to further promote Australia’s practical cooperation with China,” he said.
He added that to leverage this positive situation, both sides “should make joint efforts to inject more positive factors into economic and trade cooperation.”
Australia-China Ties
The meeting comes after years of tensions between the two countries due to a series of tit-for-tat trade sanctions, and indicates a thaw in relations.
The souring of relations between both countries over COVID-19, human rights abuses, attempts to change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific region, and aggression against Taiwan, led to China imposing trade sanctions and restrictions on Australian exports.
Since early 2019, China imposed anti-dumping duties and restrictions on several Australian products, including wine, timber, cotton, barley, sugar, lobster, coal, and copper ore. Bilateral ties further deteriorated when Australia demanded an independent inquiry into the origins of COVID-19.
In response to several trade tariffs, Australia abandoned China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and banned Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE from the rollout of 5G network in the country. Moreover, Australian diplomats have accused Beijing of violating international trading rules and approached the World Trade Organization to resolve the dispute.