Don’t be fooled by the pandas and the wine, a chill remains in the Australia-China relationship

The antics of Beijing officials towards Cheng Lei at a ceremony with premier Li Qiang show rebuilding trust will be harder than holding bilaterals

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The smiles and handshakes are welcome and the replacement pandas and wine appreciation suggest the thaw is progressing.

But there are a few reminders in Chinese premier Li Qiang's visit to Australia and its aftermath that for all the bilateral relationship's new surface warmth, a chill remains underneath.