The Australian trade minister, Don Farrell, has invited the Chinese commerce minister to visit his family’s vineyard in South Australia after the pair met in Beijing on Friday night.
Speaking after the talks with Wang Wentao in Beijing, Farrell said he was “very pleased to confirm that we agreed to step up dialogue under our free trade agreement and other platforms to resolve our outstanding issues”.
Farrell said he had also received assurances from Wang that the recent deal to review China’s tariffs on Australian barley remained “on track”.
Earlier, in the opening stages of the meeting, Farrell said economic engagement with China had “made a very substantial contribution to the prosperity of the Australian people”. He said two-way trade with China had “very much contributed” to the surplus recorded in the Australian government’s budget on Tuesday.
Farrell “formally” invited Wang to Australia, and specifically to his vineyard in South Australia.
“Can I formally invite you to come to Australia and in particular, come to Adelaide, in South Australia? Forget about Sydney and Melbourne. Come to Adelaide and hopefully you can come and stay at my beautiful vineyard in the Clare Valley in South Australia.”
Farrell said later that Wang had accepted the invitation to visit Australia.
Guardian Australia understands officials are yet to lock in a separate prospective visit to Australia by China’s foreign minister, Qin Gang, to meet Penny Wong.
The trade minister alluded to the possibility at the beginning of talks with Wang.
Farrell said he had read news reports that China’s foreign minister would come to Australia (the South China Morning Post report suggested a July visit) and he said this was part of a “good pattern” and the commerce minister should come, too.
But an announcement about Qin’s visit is expected only after the details have been confirmed by both sides.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade hinted that Australia was seeking further progress on issues such as the cases of the citizens detained in China, Cheng Lei and Yang Hengjun.
“The foreign minister looks forward to the next opportunity to meet minister Qin Gang. Ministerial engagement and progress on trade impediments and the cases of Australians detained in China are all important to a stable bilateral relationship,” the spokesperson said.
Farrell is the second Albanese government minister to visit China, after Wong’s trip to Beijing in December.
On Friday Farrell and Wang co-chaired bilateral talks known as the Joint Ministerial Economic Commission – the first time this grouping has met in six years.
In the opening remarks, Wang said China and Australia were both “important countries” in the region and it was “in our fundamental interests” to work together.
He told Farrell that China had noted Australia’s concerns over trade issues. But China was also concerned that its businesses and products “be treated fairly and justly” by Australia.
“China and Australia are important countries in the Asia Pacific. We do not have fundamental conflicts of interest,” Wang said.
“We need to see our differences and divergence in perspective, improve and maintain our bilateral economic relations.
“This is in our fundamental interests.”
China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, said the trade relationship was “facing an important window period” and argued both countries should “make joint efforts to inject more positive factors”.
In an interview with the state-run Global Times, Xiao reiterated that China was “firmly opposed to the Aukus clique of the US, the UK and Australia”.
Xiao also urged Australia not to speak up about the status of Taiwan, which he said was “central to China’s core interests” and “the red line and bottom line that cannot be crossed”.
In an editorial on the eve of the ministers’ meeting, the Global Times said the further improvement of bilateral relations “requires Australia’s realisation that China is Australia’s partner and did not and will not pose a security threat to Australia”.
The editorial urged Canberra to find “a pragmatic point in balancing its economic and political imperatives”, warning it would be impossible for Australia to “play the dual role as China’s close economic friend and strategic security enemy”.
Additional reporting by Tom McIlroy of the Australian Financial Review and Ben Packham of the Australian, the designated pool reporters on the trip
