In 1901, six Australian colonies formed a federation. Between 1899 and 1901, during the Boxer Rebellion, China declared war against the eight powerful states, including Britain. In 1901, the British government requested Australian federation to send troops to China, in order to fight against the Chinese boxers. Australia and China therefore were enemies in 1901. In 1921, Australian government appointed Edward Little as Australia’s first trade commissioner in Shanghai, China. This was the first time Australia had an official representative in China. The year of 1941 was another major turning point in Sino-Australian official relations. China established its embassy (or legation) in Canberra for the first time. In the same year, Australia established its legation in Chongqing—China’s wartime capital. Australia and China even formed an official alliance during the WWII. How did these two states manage to transform from enemy to ally? The Great Depression, the Sino-Japanese War (WWII) and later on Pearl Harbour were the main reasons behind this upgrading of relations. In this paper, I argue that the years of 1901, 1921, and 1941 were turning-points of Sino-Australian official relations in the first half of the twentieth century, at least from an Australian perspective.