China's ambassador Xiao Qian has echoed calls for "concrete action" to "reset" the relationship with Australia in a speech that was repeatedly disrupted by a series of coordinated protests.
Mr Xiao also said the former government's ban on Chinese company Huawei from Australia's 5G network led to heavy financial losses and said that was what caused the initial breakdown in ties.
"The previous government in this country made certain policies and took certain actions that virtually stopped the normal business cooperations and relations between Huawei and the counterparts in Australia," he said.
"That perhaps could be described as the first shot that really damaged our normal business relations."
The ambassador, appointed earlier this year, had begun speaking about how to improve ties between the two countries when he was interrupted by successive protesters.
"How we can keep the momentum, and get our relationship back on the right track?" Mr Xiao asked the audience.
"This relationship is mutually beneficial in nature," Mr Xiao said, saying the "policy of friendly cooperation" remained unchanged.
But he added that in recent years the relationship had been "difficult".
"China's development is an opportunity, instead of a so-called threat," he said.
Mr Xiao repeated the words Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on a recent tour of the South Pacific: "To improve China-Australia relations, there is no 'autopilot' mode. A reset requires concrete actions."
But several protesters interjected during Mr Xiao's address.
One described Mr Xiao as a "representative of a dictatorship" and accused the Chinese government of committing genocide against the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.
He was ushered out by security guards.
One man was asked to leave the venue prior to the event because he was dressed in a Cultural Revolution-era military costume that security described as "confronting".
Another protester held a sign reading "Free Tibet", and other stood up and declared they were a Uyghur and not a terrorist.
Yet another was escorted out after standing up and criticising China's censorship, saying people in Hong Kong and Tibet were unable to express their views freely.
"There are undeniably certain areas where China and Australia have different views. These are the areas where we should continue to conduct constructive dialogue."
The speech was widely seen as an attempt to thaw frosty relations between the two countries, in the wake of trade sanctions and a recent "dangerous" encounter between a Chinese fighter jet and Australian maritime surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea.
Drew Pavlou, head of the Democratic Alliance political party, said he and other demonstrators had sought to be as disruptive as possible during the ambassador's speech.
"We're reminding people there's another side to the Chinese regime," he said.
He said it was "fruitless" to hear what the ambassador had to say on human rights issues including the persecution of Uyghurs or Tibetans.
"My argument is there was no capacity for real dialogue there today."
Ambassador questioned about detained Australians
Professor James Laurenceson, director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney, asked Mr Xiao a number of questions that were provided to the embassy before the event.
He asked Mr Xiao if he could provide any hope for the families of detained Australians Cheng Lei and Yang Hengjun, or for Uyghurs in Australia who have been unable to contact loved ones in Xinjiang for years.
"With all my respect for you… I do disagree with you," Mr Xiao said.
"Freedom of speech is different from absolute freedom. In this world, there's no such thing as absolute freedom. Freedom is freedom within rule of law.
"These are individual cases and the relevant authorities are dealing with these cases according to Chinese rules or regulations.
He said they are provided rights and guarantees "according to our own laws" and said some cases involve "national security", adding "necessary measures are being taken" in Xinjiang to prevent "separatism".
Professor Laurenceson asked about the reasons for the diplomatic fallout following Australia's calls for an independent inquiry into the origins of COVID-19.
Mr Xiao said the origins of the virus were a matter for scientific experts, but if a country referred to it as the "Chinese virus" or suggested it was manufactured, he said that was "absolutely nonsense".
"If that happened, I think it's very reasonable for 1.4 billion Chinese people to be very angry about [it]," he said.
He said there was a strong reaction from the Chinese public, but said he wasn't sure if there was economic "punishment" from the Chinese government.
When asked about the Chinese embassy's 14-point list for the Australian government, he said they were misinterpreted as preconditions or "demands".
"I don't have a list… that happened before I came here."
Despite the interjections from protesters, some attendees were pleased to hear the ambassador speak about the potential for future trade opportunities between Australia and China.
Josephine Lam, president of Australian Fujian Association community group, said she had been looking forward to hearing what Mr Xiao had to say.
Businesswoman Sophy Liu said she wanted to look at areas where Australia could cooperate in future, on issues like energy, climate change and education.
"The ambassador sent a very positive message about how we've worked together over the last 50 years and what we've contributed to both sides," she said.
