Chinese media calls for Turnbull visit to be called off

The call for Australia to be left hanging, despite efforts by Australian officials to calm the relationship, came after a meeting between Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the G20 in Argentina on Monday.

The Turnbull Government had hoped the meeting would smooth over tensions in the bilateral relationship.

But Ms Bishop and Mr Wang released starkly different accounts of the meeting, with the Chinese version recording Ms Bishop blaming Australian media for negative stories about China that had disrupted the relationship.

Ms Bishop later told Fairfax Media that she expected China to stop its alleged pressure tactics against Australia which she said included a go-slow on wine imports and claims that Australia was unsafe for Chinese students and tourists.

Hours later, West Australian Liberal MP Andrew Hastie repeated under parliamentary privilege allegations about Chinese Australian political donor Chau Chak Wing being involved in bribery of a UN official. Mr Hastie said the Chinese Communist Party was working to covertly interfere with Australian media, universities and political processes.

Mr Turnbull said on Wednesday he had no prior knowledge of Mr Hastie's speech, and the allegations were not new.

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The Global Times editorial did not mention the Hastie speech, but said Australian politicians' remarks about "China's alleged interference and infiltration" were creating obstacles in the relationship between the countries.

"Recently, Australian officials made unfriendly remarks toward China by actively hurling accusations," it said.

The state-owned newspaper said non-government exchanges with Australia should be maintained and "Chinese students and tourists in Australia should not be bothered".

China could keep buying the Australian iron ore it needs, but it should replace other Australian products, such as wine and beef, with US supplies.

"Lowering Aussie exports by $6.45 billion would send cold chills up and down the spine of Australia. Of course, it would be an even greater shock if the import reductions totalled $10 billion," the Global Times wrote.

Australian wine company Treasury Wine Estates is the biggest foreign wine exporter to China and complained last week of a slowdown in Chinese customs clearing its product, prompting other Australian beverage and food companies to report they had noticed a similar pattern or feedback from Chinese customers.

China and the US have this week struck a deal to avert a trade war that will significantly increase American food, agricultural and LNG exports to China, all areas in which Australia is a major supplier.

A freeze on high-level Chinese delegations visiting Australia has already been in effect this year, and Trade Minister Steven Ciobo was the first Turnbull government minister to have a visit to China cleared by Beijing.

Mr Ciobo had also sought to soothe the relationship tensions in a speech to a business audience in Shanghai last week.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has previously said the Global Times speaks for itself, and the paper is known to take an antagonistic line to generate headlines.

The official China Daily newspaper wrote in an editorial that Canberra should "drop any anti-Beijing bias", but welcomed "positive signals that Australia is stepping up efforts to mend the fence with China".

It said China "values a good relationship with Australia, and there is no fundamental disagreement pushing Beijing and Canberra apart".

But it also indicated the sensitivity of the Hastie speech, by saying: "These efforts to patch up ties were necessary because some members of the government chose to buy the claims that China was seeking political influence in Australia, and translated the media's claims into legislation."