Australia PM plays down China reset after diplomatic meeting

Bloomberg

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has downplayed the possibility of a reset in relations with the Chinese government after a high-profile meeting between the two countries, saying Beijing must first lift sanctions on a wide-range of Australian exports.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles met with China’s Defence Minister Wei Fenghe in Singapore, where both were attending the annual IISS Shangri-La Dialogue. It was the first public meeting between Australian and Chinese government officials in more than two years, following a diplomatic freeze amid rapidly deteriorating relations.
Marles said the meeting had been a “very frank and full exchange” but also a “critical first step” in restoring relations with Beijing.
At a press conference in Brisbane on Tuesday, Albanese said it was “always a good thing that people have dialogue and have discussions,” something which he said had been “missing” under the previous Australian government.
But the new Australian leader said any further warming of relations with the Chinese government would depend on whether or not they agreed to remove trade sanctions and barriers on Australian exports.