China, Australia diplomats hold 'constructive' talks
Australia is aiming for a stable relationship with China despite differences in particular on trade, Australia's foreign minister said, as she called on China to use its influence as a great power to help end the war in Ukraine. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong met with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on Thursday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. She later described their meeting as constructive. China is Australia's largest trading partner, but relations have atrophied in the last five years over a number of disputes. "I think it is a long road on which many steps will have to be taken by both parties to a more stable relationship," Wong said. "In terms of issues of difference, obviously first amongst them is the issue of trade blockages, and that is the issue I focused on at the outset." Wong also urged China, as one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (P5), to use its influence to help end the Ukraine crisis. "China is a great power... We encourage China as a P5 member with a special responsibility to uphold the UN charter to use its influence to end the war," she said. Thursday's meeting with Yi, the second in three months, comes as the recently elected Labor government looks to rebuild ties with China after a sharp deterioration during the term of the previous conservative government. Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has suggested he is open to meeting President Xi Jinping at the G20 in Bali in November. (Agencies)