Penny Wong urges China to ‘act responsibly’ as Australia moves to stabilise ties with Beijing

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has called on Beijing to behave responsibly in the world just days before Anthony Albanese heads to China.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has called on Beijing to behave responsibly in the world just days before Anthony Albanese heads to China to set Australia’s long-fractured relations with the country on a more stable footing.

The call came as Defence Minister Richard Marles refused to say when Australia would begin conducting joint naval patrols with the Philippines in the South China Sea, or say whether the patrols had been cancelled to avoid offending Beijing ahead of the Prime Ministers visit.

Senator Wong, who will accompany Mr Albanese on the trip, said China’s aspirations to become a great power and global leader required it to exercise its standing judiciously.

“With those positions and with that status comes responsibility as well, and we would continue to encourage China to exercise that responsibility wisely, whether it is in terms of China’s relationship with Russia and … also on global matters and the current crisis in the Middle East,” she told Sky News.

Senator Wong, who has worked with Mr Albanese since Labor’s election last year to improve Australia’s China ties, warned there would be no reset in the relationship.

“We are not going back to where we were 20 years ago in terms of our relationship with China,” she said. “China has changed and our relationship has changed. When we came to government, we said we wanted to bring a greater level of maturity to the relationship, a greater level of consistency.

“We made clear we weren’t going to play any domestic politics with it but we also said we want to stabilise the relationship and ensure that Australia’s national interests are safeguarded.”

Mr Albanese will become the first Australian prime minister to visit China in seven years when he flies into Shanghai on Saturday night to attend a major trade show, before travelling to Beijing for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.

He has confirmed he will raise the plight of detained Australian Yang Hengjun, as well as human rights more generally, and Australia’s concerns over China’s behaviour in the South China Sea.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles at the Pentagon on Wednesday (AEDT). Picture: US Air Force Sgt Jack Sanders

Mr Albanese confirmed he had been in contact with members of Dr Yang’s family after they wrote a letter to him urging the stabilisation of ties with Beijing to be deferred until the writer was freed.

Mr Albanese committed two months ago to joint naval patrols with the Philippines in the contested waterway, amid ongoing Chinese harassment of the nation’s vessels.

Mr Marles, in Washington DC for talks with counterpart Lloyd Austin, said Australia’s relationship with the Philippines was “on track and we look forward to more developments on that being apparent soon”.

“I won't go into the specifics but the relationship with the Philippines has been hugely significant in terms of what has occurred this year,” he said.

Mr Marles and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon. Picture: US Air Force Tech Sgt Jack Sanders

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said the Coalition expected Mr Albanese to make clear Australia’s concerns about China’s regional engagement.