China-Aust ties need personal touch:Howard

Former prime minister John Howard has called on the Turnbull government to prioritise a personal touch in repairing relations with China.

In 1996, Mr Howard met with then Chinese leader Jiang Zemin during the Taiwan Strait crisis, which the former Liberal leader described as a turning point in returning relations to normal.

"With a country the size of Australia, the relationship between the two leaders is important. The Chinese saw our relationship as something that deserved regular watering at the highest level," Mr Howard told The Australian on Friday.

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade official Graham Fletcher played down the rift between the two countries.

"We don't think the relationship is frozen," he told a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra.

"We believe we are able to move things forward step-by-step."