Free China-Australia ties from alienation
- Source: Global Times
- [00:51 October 27 2009]
- Comments
Many are still worrying over when China-Australia relations will bottom out, but the reality is that bilateral ties between the two countries have already started warming.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday that Vice Premier Li Keqiang will visit Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea soon.
During the recent ASEAN summit in Thailand, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd reiterated the importance of mutual respect, trust and cooperation between the two countries.
The efforts of the two governments sent a clear message to the world that top Chinese and Australian leaders are in consensus that the fundamental interest of the two countries lies in removing the conflicts that have complicated ties recently.
In the past six months, Sino-Australian relations have gone through some ups and downs.
Incidents like the Rio Tinto corporate espionage case and Rebiya Kadeer being permitted to visit Australia have soured relations, and even affected normal exchanges.
The efforts to repair the damage started quickly. The two sides signed a blitz of trade agreements, including a single trade package agreement worth A$50 billion ($46.2 billion).
Free trade agreement talks that had been stalled were restarted as well. The Australian government has also just approved, with conditions, Yangzhou Coal Mining's takeover of Australian company Felix Resources.
Neither side can afford the price of damaged political and economic relations resulting from alienation caused by extremists like Xinjiang separatists.
