Lock in China deal safeguards, Wong to PM

Labor is confident its "deep concerns" over the China free trade deal can be resolved, but it wants Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to lock in safeguards to protect local jobs.

The opposition will soon release its proposed complementary safeguards as parliament prepares to resume debate on the agreement.

Trade Minister Andrew Robb says he is open to listening to Labor's concerns.

But he warned earlier discussions had been ridiculous and nothing but a big wish list on general changes to the Migration Act the opposition wanted.

"If they show us something of substance and we think it doesn't in any way compromise what we have agreed to, we will look at it," Mr Robb told Sky News on Sunday.

The government won't change the package or discriminate against China, he said.

But it is open to clarifying things to provide "comfort".

Labor's trade spokeswoman Penny Wong said her party understands the importance of the agreement, yet it still has "deep concerns" about some aspects.

"We think they can be resolved by the amendments, the complementary safeguards, that we'll put forward. They won't require renegotiation of the agreement," she told ABC TV.

The safeguards would be consistent with the deal and non-discriminatory.

"Now will be the time for Malcolm Turnbull to demonstrate he's not Tony Abbott and that he's prepared to have a conversation based on facts with the opposition in the national interest," Senator Wong said.

"It's a much better position (for the country) to have a bipartisan approach to this."

Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce said the China deal was exceptional and that it would be a political disaster if it doesn't go ahead.

"The last time we did something that idiotic was when we closed the live cattle trade to Indonesia, the ramifications would make that pale into insignificance," he told Sky News.

Senator Wong also urged the government to rethink its approach to foreign investment in agricultural businesses.

The coalition is hoping to lock in reforms by December 1 that will bring down the agribusiness investments threshold to $55 million.

Senator Wong said the threshold rules applied to Chinese investors but not to Americans and did not make economic or political sense.

She would not go as far as her colleague Sam Dastyari, who likened the policy to the White Australia Policy.

But she was concerned at some of the rhetoric from the Nationals and its deputy leader Barnaby Joyce.

"I think there are real economic questions as to why you would throw up barriers to investment in agribusiness at a time when we know we need foreign capital in that sector in order to scale up to make the most of the opportunities of this Asian century."