Australian relations with China are still far from normalised, the nation's former head of defence has cautioned after a watershed meeting between the two countries' defence ministers.
Newly sworn in Defence Minister Richard Marles met with his Chinese counterpart, General Wei Fenghe, yesterday on the side of an international forum in Singapore.
The meeting marked the first high-level diplomatic talks between the two governments since January 2020.
Former defence secretary Dennis Richardson told the ABC it was an opportunity that came from the change in government, but significant differences remained.
"The fact that they agreed to talk at the very first opportunity is noteworthy," he said.
Australia has endured billions of dollars of trade punishment and a total freeze on political relations with China, which began after former prime minister Scott Morrison called for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
Relations have become increasingly tense as China looks to grow its influence in the region, most recently attempting to establish new security and trade deals with Pacific nations, and inking a security deal with Solomon Islands.
Last weekend, a Chinese jet fighter flew close to a RAAF surveillance plane, dangerously cutting in front of it and releasing a bag of chaff, including metal waste, that was sucked into the plane's engine.
Mr Marles said he raised the incident in a "full and frank exchange" with the Chinese Defence Minister.
"Australia and China's relationship is complex and it's precisely because of this complexity that it is really important that we are engaging in dialogue right now," Mr Marles said yesterday.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been cautious in his ambitions for restoring a relationship with China.
He has previously said that if China is serious about improving relations, it could start by dropping trade punishments on several Australian exports that have been imposed in recent years.
Mr Richardson said China and Australia remained at odds on a number of issues.
"There are still a lot of fundamental differences between China and Australia, which the new government is fully aware of," he said.
"I don't think that we'll be looking for any startling breakthrough any time soon."
But he noted that the new government did not carry the baggage of the previous decade, which saw several inflammatory incidents before the pandemic, including Australia's decision to ban Chinese carrier Huawei from the 5G network (a move that has since been followed by other Western nations).
"New governments don't bring the barnacles, the bruises, and the baggage which you accumulate when you've been in office for a decade," he said.
"So a change of government after a decade does bring with it opportunities of this kind."
Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce said the meeting was a welcome development, but China had not displayed any willingness to stop its aggressive expansion in the Indo-Pacific region.
"I like the words, but let's see the actions," he said.
"The actions are that they step down from this sort of forward push on our area, that they stop their military might, using it as a mechanism to put a foot on our throat — and I'll be as frank as that — put a foot on our throat and intimidate us."
