Two wings to lift Sino-Australian ties

Setting the agenda for greater bilateral cooperation in the future, China and Australia held their second annual Foreign and Strategic Dialogue in Sydney on Sunday. This attention-grabbing event, which came in the run-up to President Xi Jinping's visit to Brisbane for the G20 summit in November, will undoubtedly help enrich the bilateral strategic partnership.

Despite the generally positive momentum in bilateral ties, Beijing and Canberra share different views on a number of issues, especially in the field of regional peace and security. As Foreign Minister Wang Yi rightful pointed out in Sydney, China and Australia should transcend their differences, build more mutual trust and deepen mutual respect.

China welcomes Australia's efforts to deepen its understanding of Asia and enhance its interaction with the region. "China is willing to see Australia play an active role as a bridge and as a link between the East and the West," Wang said.

In return, Australia should view China more positively and think twice before it blindly jumps on the United States' bandwagon of trying to contain China's rise in the Asia-Pacific, which is manifested in the US' pivot to Asia.

Many in China view the Australian agreement to allow the US to deploy marines in Darwin as clear evidence of Australia's support for the US' strategy.

Also, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's eulogy to Japan's World War II military during Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Australia in July, was also considered by Chinese to be inappropriate, at the very least, as it helped Abe's efforts to whitewash his country's history of aggression.

All these show Australia needs better judgment when it comes to sensitive issues in Asia.

It should also recalibrate its relations with China to match the changing realities of China-Australia interaction.