A former top diplomat says Australia's "modest new normal" relationship with China might not endure. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)A former top diplomat says Australia's "modest new normal" relationship with China might not endure. China is Australia's largest trading partner and is the destination for about a third of the nation's exports. "The gulf in terms of diverging world views and national security agendas is simply too wide. Mr Fletcher was Australia's ambassador to China from 2019 to 2023 and led the negotiating team in 2014 that helped seal a free-trade agreement between the nations.