Australia has fallen short in its bid to have trade sanctions on Australian lobster and some meat lifted during Premier Li Qiang's visit.
However Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell is adamant this is not a government failure and told 7.30 he expects the block will be lifted soon.
"I'm now very, very confident, as a result of the meetings today and yesterday, that these final issues will be resolved very quickly, and Chinese consumers will very soon have the benefit of wonderful Australian rock lobster on their menu," Senator Farrell told 7.30.
The ban on some Australian abattoirs and lobster exports was one of a number that China implemented in 2020, after Australia called for a review of China's role in the origins of COVID-19.
The lobster market was worth around $770 million at the time and resulted in tonnes of Australian lobsters being left to rot on the tarmac at Chinese airports.
Senator Farrell said he and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had raised the matter with Mr Li and Chinese Minister of Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.
"I would expect in the very near future that those last remaining impediments will be removed, and Australian producers of wonderful crayfish will be able to get their products back into the Chinese market," Senator Farrell told 7.30.
Mr Li had said on Monday that the bilateral relationship between the two nations was "on the right track of steady improvement and development".
Asked if he was disappointed the deal could not be done while the Chinese officials were in Australia, Senator Farrell said the issue was out of his hands and claimed it was due to biosecurity concerns held by the Chinese.
Asked whether the sanctions were a punishment from the Chinese government over past tensions, Senator Farrell denied that was the case
"I've now had eight meetings with my my Chinese counterpart [and] they've said all along, this is a biosecurity issue," he told 7.30.
"Our agricultural officials have been working very closely with their equivalents in China to resolve the issues.
Despite his answer both Labor and Coalition politicians had in the past expressed their belief that Beijing had originally placed trade barriers on around $20 billion worth of Australian products, including wine, cotton, timber and barley, as an act of political retribution after the Morrison government repeatedly clashed with China.
Senator Farrell said he was proud of the work the Albanese government had done to restore almost $20 billion of trade with China, including having a block removed on Australian wine.
Pressed on whether he could trust such a "capricious" trade partner as China, Senator Farrell said dialogue was the key.
"We've worked through virtually all of the issues that we had with the Chinese government in respect of trade," he said.
"I am confident that going into the future, if we do have issues that crop up from time-to-time, we'll at least be able to have a discussion with them."
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