Australia is looking to open up more lines of trade with China. 

Australia's Trade Minister Don Farrell has arrived in Beijing for talks with his Chinese counterpart, as Canberra seeks to remove all trade barriers and improve diplomatic relations. 

Farrell stated that he would advocate for the resumption of all Australian exports to China without impediments, benefiting both countries and Australian exporters and producers. 

The last visit by an Australian trade minister to China was in 2019. The joint meetings beginning on Thursday have been seeking to resolve trade issues between the two countries and further cement the consensus reached between the two heads of state at a G20 meeting in Bali in November last year.

China is Australia's largest trading partner, with two-way trade worth AU$287 billion in 2022, dominated by iron ore exports. 

However, Australian exports to China, including beef, barley, coal, seafood, and timber, have faced trade curbs since 2020. 

The diplomatic disputes were initiated when Australia called for an international inquiry into the origins of COVID-19, which angered Beijing. 

Additionally, Australian journalist Cheng Lei has been detained in Beijing on national security charges, and the Australian government barred Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei from its 5G network over national security concerns. These actions have further cooled the relationship between the two nations.

The Albanese government has tried to ease the diplomatic tensions between the two countries. However, there has been no shift in policy on screening foreign investment for national security concerns, and a defence shake-up announced last month will draw Australia closer to its security alliance partner, the United States. 

Farrell is also expected to raise issues of importance to Australians, likely referring to human rights cases.