We shall never get anywhere with the Australia-China relationship if we are not pragmatic, as Bismarck famously said. While we must avoid over-ambitious goals, forthcoming official talks with China’s top foreign affairs official Wang Yi will present a unique opportunity to test the government’s relationship reset.

A two-day visit by Wang Yi later in March is still to be officially confirmed. It was predicted by the Stephen Dziedzic and Bang Xiao of the ABC in an article published on 28 February and this prompted me to put some thoughts on paper.

Talks will parallel the expected resumption of the Foreign and Strategic Dialogue between senior officials, also awaiting announcement of dates. The Wang/Wong meeting will be an opportunity to shape future relations in ways that are beneficial to Australia, or they could put us back in the freezer. For what they are worth, I present some unsolicited advice as someone who has long been involved in Australia-China relations.

Kandy Wong, writing in Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post on 29 February, says that Wang Yi “is expected to discuss a range of thorny issues”. She lists a new science and technology agreement, the AUKUS alliance and the sentencing of Australian writer Yang Hengjun, and she notes that bilateral trade has “largely normalised”.

The first consideration in any negotiation is to set realistic goals. China’s national policies, have just been extensively described and promoted at Beijing’s “Two Sessions”, the annual meeting of the top legislature and political advisory body. In a press conference last week, Wang Yi set out the........

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