Foreign minister Julie Bishop is expecting China to respectfully consider Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's message on its expansion in the South China Sea.

Mr Turnbull outlined Australia's concerns over the territorial dispute with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a lengthy meeting in Beijing this week.

Ms Bishop said Mr Turnbull, who was due to arrive in Sydney on Saturday, maintained the government's message of peacefully de-escalating tensions.

"I'm sure China respected prime minster Turnbull's statement," Ms Bishop told reporters in Darwin on Saturday.

"Our interest is ensuring that we can continue to have freedom of overflight, freedom of navigation through the South China Sea."

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says his concerns about steel manufacturing jobs in Australia have not been allayed since the prime minister's meetings in China.

Mr Turnbull met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to raise concerns around the impact on Australian jobs of China dumping cheap steel on the global market.

"It's most important Mr Turnbull doesn't just speak for some Australians, he should stand up for Australian manufacturing jobs," he told reporters in western Sydney on Saturday.