AUSTRALIA'S top diplomat for north Asia has described China's public rebuke of foreign minister Julie Bishop as the rudest display he's seen in his career.
It was a candid moment during a heated debate about the status of Australia's relationship with China, in which Labor suggested the Abbott government was mishandling ties with its biggest trading partner.
Top officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) were quizzed about the incident in December when Ms Bishop was upbraided by her Chinese counterpart during a press conference in Beijing.
The foreign minister was criticised for "irresponsible" comments after Australia condemned China's declaration of an air-defence zone over an island chain also claimed by Japan.
DFAT North Asia Division first assistant secretary Peter Rowe on Thursday gave a frank assessment of the display from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
"I have never in 30 years encountered such rudeness, actually," he told a Senate estimates hearing on Thursday.
His superior, DFAT secretary Peter Varghese, quickly interrupted by saying foreign ministers often have robust exchanges, even if they're usually not in front of the media.
Mr Rowe's revelation prompted Labor senator Sam Dastyari, who suggested it was one of a number of incidents that suggested all wasn't well between Australia and China.
He pointed to the summoning of China's ambassador over the no-fly zone, and the government's failure to criticise Japan after its prime minister visited a controversial war shrine that was offensive to China.
In particular, he questioned whether a trilateral communique issued in October between Japan, Australia and the United States equated to a change in policy towards China.
"To play this game where you pretend this isn't a significant communique, I just don't think passes the believability test," he said.
Mr Varghese said although the Chinese had expressed their disappointment over the communique, "not one phrase" in it represented a shift in policy from Australia.
He also said Prime Minister Tony Abbott's description of Japan as an "ally" was correct, though there were "capital A" and "small A" allies, which amused Labor senator John Faulkner.
"The use of upper case and lower case, do I find that in some diplomatic handbook? That's one of the most interesting things I've ever heard," he said.
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