Choppy waters in China-Aust ties expected
It's unrealistic to expect the Australia-China relationship will always be smooth sailing, the foreign affairs department boss warns.
Relations with China have soured in the past year, and Beijing is especially cranky about Australia's foreign interference laws.
Under questioning from Labor's foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Secretary Frances Adamson acknowledged there were differences between the two countries.
"The presence of differences themselves should not be of concern to us," Ms Adamson told a Senate estimates hearing on Thursday.
"We should be concerned about managing those differences in a respectful way."
She said there were national interests to defend and prosecute, and successive governments have done that.
Ms Adamson, a former ambassador to Beijing, said China was moving away from a previous "hide and bide" policy - made famous by ex-leader Deng Xiaoping - to make bigger contributions to peace and security.
No Australian minister had visited the Chinese mainland for eight months until Trade Minister Steve Ciobo broke the drought earlier this month.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has faced criticism for mishandling Australia-China ties.
While she characterised a meeting with her Chinese counterpart last week as warm and positive, Wang Yi was less enthusiastic.