Officials from Australia's capital yesterday played down recent friction with Beijing, hailing "common interests" shared with China while denying its ambassador to the country has been recalled for emergency talks.
Chinese experts said both sides should be "extremely cautious" in handling rows, and not over-interpret moves by one another at a time when relations continue to sour.
Sino-Australian ties have been strained by the Rio Tinto commercial espionage case, and by Australia's granting of a visa to Rebiya Kadeer, the alleged mastermind of the July riots in Urumqi in which almost 200 people were killed.
Ambassador Geoff Raby arrived home to Canberra on Wednesday for what Australian newspapers said were emergency meetings. However, Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said yesterday the visit was routine.
"He hasn't been rushed back to Canberra. He comes back on a regular basis," Smith told national radio.
Wang Yusheng, a researcher at the China Foundation for International Studies, also brushed off any link between Raby's return to Canberra and recent disputes between the two countries.
He noted that some people who were "unfriendly" toward China in Australia were trying to create enmity and widen any rift between the nations.
"The Sino-Australian relationship must be dealt with cautiously, with consideration given to the broad and long-term perspective," Wang said.
Canberra yesterday seemed to be dousing the flames. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said bilateral ties were challenging but worthwhile because of "common interests".
"We share enormous common interests with our friends in China but we have continuous differences," Rudd said. "They are differences of values and, from time to time, differences of interests."
A calm, measured approach would help if the countries encounter future bumps in the road, he said.
