Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Bali, Indonesia, July 8, 2022. (XU QIN / XINHUA)
State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Bali, Indonesia, on Friday represents the latest efforts of the two sides to ease the strained bilateral ties between the two countries.
It is good to hear Wong say after the first face-to-face meeting between the two countries' foreign ministers since 2019 that Canberra believes "it is in the interests of both countries for the relationship to be stabilized".
That shows the Anthony Albanese government is taking a more objective view of Australia's relations with China and adopting a more practical approach.
The root cause of the difficulties in Sino-Australian relations in recent years lies in the insistence of the previous Australian government to treat China as an opponent, with the Scott Morrison government enthusiastically participating in the United States' "Indo-Pacific strategy" as a way to counter what it perceived to be the threat from China.
If the Albanese government seeks to resolve issues calmly and rationally, then it should jettison the antagonistic policies of its predecessor. It is Canberra's participation in the US' campaign to contain China by joining the AUKUS and Quad, blocking Chinese companies, technology and investment, weaponizing human rights issues and politicizing the novel coronavirus, that has put relations on ice.
China has never worked with other countries to target Australia; China has never formed or joined any cliques with Australia as an imaginary enemy; China has never speculated on issues such as human rights and COVID-19 pandemic to demonize Australia.
Instead, China's development has brought market, investment and opportunities to Australia and it has strived to maintain friendly relations.
The healthy development of bilateral relations would be in the interests of both peoples and would help safeguard the peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. Australia should see its relations with China rationally, and, as Wang said, try to accumulate "positive energy" to improve ties between the two countries.
The two countries should take advantage of this year being the 50th anniversary of the establishing of their diplomatic relations to make Australia-China ties more stable and mutually beneficial.
The recalibrating of their bilateral relationship onto a positive trajectory would also be beneficial for the broader region, as the US has sought to take advantage of their estrangement to sow the seeds of suspicion and division among the Pacific Island countries.
Canberra and Beijing can work together to promote economic development, strengthen public health systems and help the island countries in their responses to climate change.
That would not only be of practical benefit to these countries and the region as a whole, but also beneficial to their own relations as it would help build mutual trust.