Australia hosts China FM, sees 'stability' in ties

China and Australia claimed to have stabilised long-strained relations after talks in Canberra on Wednesday, despite tensions over a high-profile prisoner, trade and China's crackdowns in Hong Kong and elsewhere remaining evident.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Australia for the first time since 2017, marking a diplomatic thaw between two trading partners who have sparred over everything from the origins of Covid-19 to military deployments.

Wang said recent efforts to mend relations had "broken the ice", and that "mutual trust" and "good momentum" were slowly building in the relationship.

"The most crucial thing is to persist in seeking common ground while reserving differences," he said.

China and Australia have been working to patch up ties after years of bickering and tit-for-tat trade reprisals.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said it was crucial to recognise "how much progress we have made in a short period of time".

Despite praising the renewed "stability" between Beijing and Canberra, Wong also hinted at several ongoing points of friction.

"We discussed the sentencing of Dr Yang Hengjun. I told the foreign minister Australians were shocked at the sentence imposed," she said.

Jailed Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun — also known as Yang Jun — was in February handed a suspended death sentence after a Beijing court found him guilty of espionage.

He vehemently denies the charges.

"I raised Australia's concerns about human rights, including in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong," Wong added.

Hong Kong on Tuesday passed a new national security law, introducing harsh penalties for crimes related to treason and insurrection.

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