Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Tuesday called for the release of her nationals detained in China, saying their fate would be on the agenda of her historic visit to Beijing.
Australian journalist Cheng Lei was arrested by Chinese authorities in August 2020 and then accused of “providing state secrets overseas”. Australian of Chinese origin Yang Jun was arrested in January 2019 and since tried behind closed doors for espionage.
The head of Australia’s diplomacy said their release would help improve relations between the two countries.
“I think it would be beneficial if these consular matters were sorted out not only for the (affected) individuals, which I think is important in itself, but also for (our) relationships,” she said.
Penny Wong, who embarks for Beijing on Tuesday, is the first senior Australian diplomat to visit China in four years, with the aim of thawing Sino-Australian relations. She is due to meet with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Relations, once excellent, have deteriorated over the past four years. The two countries have clashed over political and moral issues, including over Chinese influence operations abroad.
Beijing has been angered by Australia’s decision to ban Chinese giant Huawei from operating the country’s 5G network, and by Canberra’s calls to investigate the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In retaliation, China quietly imposed sanctions on a range of Australian products and instituted a freeze on high-level diplomatic contacts. Their thaw began in November, on the occasion of the G20 in Bali where Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Beijing hoped on Monday that Wong’s visit will “strengthen dialogue, expand cooperation and bridge differences, while putting bilateral relations back on track.”
China is Australia’s largest trading partner providing much of the ores, metals and minerals fueling China’s spectacular economic growth.