While there are numerous opportunities for Albanese to speak with his Chinese counterpart, there needs to be intent shown to improve ties, Ambassador Xiao Qian says.

“It needs action to be taken from both sides to improve the relationship. There’s no autopilot mode,” he said.

“Let’s meet each other halfway.

“As to exactly where exactly halfway between us, we can talk about those but we need efforts from both sides.”

Xiao said it was important that nations like China and Australia maintained top level dialogue, revealing he has been trying to seek common ground with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

“It’s very important for countries like China and Australia to keep in touch at various levels, including top levels,” he said.

“I’ve been trying to compare notes with our Australian colleagues in DFAT to see how we can move forward to create an atmosphere that’d be conducive to a possible top level meeting.

“A top level meeting is not a meeting for a meeting’s sake, we’re expecting a meeting to be constructive instead of destructive.”

The new Labor government provides an opportunity to reset the bilateral relationship after being strained over the past five years, Xiao said.

“The past is past,” he said.

“We’re now having a new Labor government, and we’re ready to reset our relationship, look forward to the future, see how we move forward to the benefit of our two countries.”

The comments come amid a terse bilateral relationship, most recently with Foreign Minister Penny Wong branding a United Nation’s report into China’s mass detention of the Uighurs as “harrowing reading”.

The ambassador hit back, calling the report an “absolute fabrication”.

Australia’s defence department also released images of a Chinese intelligence ship operating off the Western Australian coast in May.

Xiao denied the reports on Tuesday, saying: “These are just ordinary ships moving around, I don’t know which one you’re talking about”.

Australia is also working to counter Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific with a Sino-Solomons security pact stoking fears from the West of a possibly military presence in the region.

Both the China and the Solomon Islands say there will be no military presence as a result of the pact as Australia tries to maintain it remains the island nation’s “security partner of choice”.

But on Tuesday, Solomons Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare accused Australia of “foreign interference” for offering to help fund the election.

Asked whether China would step in to help the Solomon Islands hold the poll, Xiao said Beijing would support any leader the nation elected.

“Whichever leader they choose is up to them to make their decisions,” he said.

“What we care about is the Solomon Islands is a friendly country to China.

“We’re ready to cooperate with whoever is going to be in power after the election to move forward with our relationship and cooperation.”

-AAP