A proposed agreement between Australia and China on education is being touted as more symbolic than substantive, as both governments work to repair the diplomatic relationship.
Education Minister Jason Clare met with his Chinese counterpart Huai Jinpeng on Monday and flagged a new memorandum of understanding for the education sector, after the previous one lapsed six years ago.
Australian-China relations expert Benjamin Herscovitch said while details are scant, he believes the push would mainly have come from Beijing.
Dr Herscovitch told AAP China would be pushing for a formal declaration of goodwill from Australia.
"This is a high-level signal from Beijing that they want to get the education trade between China and Australia back to where it was," the Australian National University academic said.
But Dr Herscovitch said the memorandum was unlikely to substantially change the nature of the education relationship.
"It's a nice little diplomatic box-ticking exercise," he said.
"It's more indicative of Beijing wanting to show that the relationship is getting back to normal."
Dr Herscovitch said any potential bilateral developments in the sector would likely be viewed with caution by more hawkish members of Australia's parliament, given the potential for foreign interference through tertiary institutions.
Mr Clare said his discussion with Mr Huai encompassed people-to-people links and the economic opportunities education can provide.
"It doesn't just make us money as a country, it makes us friends," he told reporters in Brisbane on Tuesday.
"When people come to Australia and they study here, they fall in love with our country and they take that affection back home."
The recognition of online qualifications was also discussed after China allowed international students to study online through an overseas university during the pandemic.
Mr Clare said international education shouldn't just be about travelling to an overseas institution, because some students couldn't afford to do so.
He also pointed to examples of Australian universities opening campuses in other nations, and mentioned the possibility of "twinning degrees", where students study half their course in Australia and half in another country and get a degree from both universities.
Skills Minister Brendan O'Connor also met with Mr Huai and discussed the importance of the vocational and training sectors.
Mr O'Connor said Australia and China were preparing to face emerging economic challenges as employers worked to integrate emerging technologies into their workforce, and nations moved towards net-zero emissions.
“The Australian government looks forward to continuing dialogue with China and exchanges of expertise, especially on matters of education and training, where it suits our respective national interests," he told AAP in a statement after Tuesday's meeting.
Consular matters were also raised just days after Australian journalist Cheng Lei marked three years behind bars in China on espionage charges that Canberra rejects.
The Chinese minister also met with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Treasurer Tim Pallas in Melbourne on Tuesday.
A standing working group is being stood up between Victoria and China's Sichuan region to progress the partnership between the two jurisdictions.
