Easier, peasier, Albanese-er

Beijing wants to patch things up with Canberra.

On Monday, Xi Jinping met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Beijing.

• It's just the second time the two have met, and the first visit by an Australian PM to China in over seven years.
• Albanese kicked off his landmark trip to China over the weekend.

Since meeting Albanese on the sidelines of the G20 in Bali, last November, China has:

• Dropped trade barriers on various Australian imports
• Initiated a review of its punitive tariffs on Aussie wine
• Released Australian journalist Cheng Lei after more than two years of detention

China's meeting readout hinted at what's behind the rapid reset (Gov.cn):

• "China does not engage in exclusive cliques, or bloc politics and confrontation in the Asia Pacific region."
• "We must be vigilant and oppose such attempts to sow chaos in the Asia Pacific."

Get smart: By freezing out Australia, Beijing eroded a crucial trade relationship and pushed Canberra even closer to Washington.

• It also spooked other advanced economies that rely heavily on trade with China.
• That was a major own goal.

Get smarter: Beijing needs an approach that allows it to maintain key trade relationships even when stark diplomatic differences emerge.