Stepping up towards the microphones in the heart of Perth's Chinatown district this week, WA Premier Mark McGowan was literally walking to the beat of a Chinese drum.

Flanked by Dong Zhi Hua, the Consul General of the People's Republic of China, he had come to announce a trial of direct flights between Perth and Shanghai and the drums were part of a Chinese Lion Dance performance to celebrate the occasion.

The warm reception was in stark contrast to the sharp rebuke Prime Minister Scott Morrison received from the Chinese Embassy in Canberra for calling China a "newly developed nation" while touring America this week.

Under World Trade Organisation agreements, developing countries are afforded special concessions, like extra time to implement agreements.

The Prime Minister was arguing China's huge economic growth in recent years should mean it no longer gets special treatment.

The Chinese Embassy was upset by this and issued a statement on Wednesday saying Mr Morrison's assertion didn't "hold much water", was "unfair" and "basically an echo of what the US has claimed".

The statement went on to say that while China has grown to become the world's second-largest economy, it ranks 70th when it comes to gross domestic product per capita — the measure of economic output per person.

Put simply, China has lots of money but it also has lots of people and many of them still live in poverty.

Setting of the speech significant

It's worth noting Mr Morrison chose to offer an opinion on how China should be treated under global trade rules from a pulpit in Chicago during his state visit to the US.

The flavour of his speech was about the strength of Australia's alliance with America.

And as we all know thanks to Donald Trump's Twitter account, the US is engaged in a bitter and very public trade war with China.

But Mr Morrison could have chosen to keep his thoughts about China out of the media spotlight, making them privately to Mr Trump.

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan told ABC Radio in Albany this week he wished the PM would "conduct our diplomacy more quietly".

Caught in China trade war crossfire

The reason is simple. According to Mr McGowan WA sold $81 billion worth of products to China last year.

"That meant that around 300,000 jobs were created," he said on Friday.

"A quarter of our workforce depends on this trading relationship."

Jobs and government revenue have been in short supply in WA since the state's China-led mining boom ended five years ago.

Since then the WA Government has made an overt effort to remain in China's good books and it seems to be paying off.

At the Shanghai flights announcement, Ms Dong lavished praise on the WA Government while lamenting the state of federal relations between China and Australia.

"I think this news could not have happened at a better time, it is good news that is badly needed in our bilateral relations," she said.

"Premier McGowan has said many times he would also like Prime Minister Morrison to visit China. I think that is a very strong and positive message, to encourage, to boost our bilateral relations and I think that's very courageous of him to do that."

Asked whether she had heard any discussion around Mr Morrison's assertion he has not been invited to Beijing and whether he would be invited, Ms Dong said: "I just follow the news here, I think if there could be any positive signals or actions like this one being sent out that would be very helpful for this to materialise, for his visit to materialise."

WA flying high on China's money

WA's Tourism Minister Paul Papalia was grinning from ear to ear at the Shanghai flights announcement.

His brief is to boost visitor numbers and tourism revenue, and the five-week trial alone is expected to inject $4 million into the WA economy.

Asked later if he agreed with Mr Morrison about whether China was a "newly developed nation", he was not keen to offer an opinion.

"That's not my responsibility, my focus and my aim is always to get the best outcome for Western Australians," he said.

So where does that leave us?

The Prime Minister has spent the week putting China offside in the company of his American host Donald Trump, who wants to economically crush his Asian rival.

The WA Government wants everyone to keep quiet because it profits hugely from the money flowing from China.

Two Australian Governments, two sets of super-powered drums — no one ever said walking to the beat was easy.