In this file photo, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian speaks at a press briefing on Feb 24, 2020. (PHOTO / MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS VIA XINHUA)

BEIJING - China urges Australia to take China's concerns seriously, and adopt concrete actions to correct its mistakes, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Thursday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily press briefing when responding to a question regarding Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's comments on bilateral ties.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily press briefing when responding to a question regarding Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's comments on bilateral ties

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"We have said many times that the root cause for the deteriorating China-Australia relations is Australia's repeated wrong acts and remarks on issues concerning China's core interests and major concerns, as well as its provocative and confrontational actions," Zhao said.

The Australian side should own up to the crux of the matter, take China's concerns seriously and adopt concrete actions to correct its mistakes, Zhao said.

He stressed that mutual respect is the basic principle serving state-to-state relations.

"We firmly oppose the act of undermining other countries' interests in the name of protecting one's own and imposing one's will on others under the excuse of protecting its own values," Zhao said.

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