Australia's new government has been making conciliatory moves towards China.

China's Ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, says Beijing is ready to talk without preconditions:

But ... the envoy added that China's punitive trade sanctions will not be dropped

  • says this will not happen until there is an improvement in the “political relationship” between Canberra and Beijing.

China’s sanctions hit more than $20 bn of Australian exports.

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