Beijing: Australia needs to take off its biased, "coloured glasses" and stop recoiling from China for the relationship to "return to the right track", China's foreign ministry has said in a terse statement following a meeting with Julie Bishop.

The Chinese version of events stands in stark contrast to Ms Bishop's account of the same meeting, which she described as "very warm and candid and constructive".

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi meets Julie Bishop for an "unofficial" meeting on sidelines of G20. Credit:Chinese foreign ministry

According to a cool statement from China, released on Tuesday afternoon in Beijing, Foreign minister Wang Yi told Ms Bishop when they met in Argentina on Monday that it was "not an official bilateral meeting", but rather he wanted to "exchange views with you on bilateral relations".

The Chinese statement appears to confirm Beijing's recent freeze on high level official meetings with Australia, despite attempts by the Turnbull government to play down the diplomatic stoush.