Australia urged to view China positively

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged Australia to “take off colored glasses” and be more positive about China’s development.

If Australia genuinely hopes for the bilateral relationship to get back on the right track and sustain healthy development, it should take a proactive approach toward China’s development, Wang said at a meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.

They were meeting on the sidelines of a G20 Meeting of Foreign Ministers in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Monday.

Wang said China has adopted a development path different from other conventional powers.

He told Bishop China never interfered with the internal affairs of other countries, let alone engage in so-called infiltrating of others. “Our goal is developing partnership on an equal footing with all countries, including Australia, to achieve mutual benefits and win-win outcomes,” Wang said.

Bishop said Australia values its ties with China and sees China’s development as an opportunity rather than a threat.

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is good for Australia and the rest of the world, and that’s the mainstream opinion in Australia, Bishop said.

Canberra is willing to show goodwill, rationally manage bilateral disputes, avoid misjudgments and continue to promote bilateral ties, she said.

Beijing has noted the statements of senior Australian officials asking to improve ties, and it is ready to communicate with Canberra on the issue, Wang said.

Last week, Australian Trade Minister Steven Ciobo visited Shanghai, which observers saw as an effort to mend the ties that included $125.6 billion in trade last year.

Experts said Canberra’s policy caters to the needs of its domestic politics, but does not conform to its interests.

Australia should not politicize its ties with China, said Xu Liping, a researcher at National Institute of International Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Protectionism brings a sustained, negative effect to the Australian economy, and it needs the Chinese market, Xu said.