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Trade Minister Simon Birmingham says the government has made its “displeasure known” to China after its ambassador warned Australia could face an economic hit if it does not back down from calling for an investigation into the nation’s handling of the coronavirus.

Ambassador Cheng Jingye on Monday said Australia’s advocacy for a global, independent investigation into COVID-19’s origins was “dangerous” and could encourage Chinese citizens to not purchase Australian exports or travel to the nation.

Condemnation of Mr Jingye’s comments were swift: Foreign Minister Marise Payne accused China of “economic coercion” while Labor senator Kimberley Kitching told Sky News the statement was tantamount to a “threat”.

Mr Birmingham told Sky News the head of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Frances Adamson, called the ambassador to discuss his “surprising and unfortunate" comments.

He said China will remain Australia’s largest trading partner, but the the government will not back down from calling for an independent inquiry into the origins of COVID-19.

“When it comes to COVID-19 we need to be honest in terms of the impact, not just in Australia but around the world,” Mr Birmingham said.

“Hundreds of thousands of people have died, hundreds of millions have probably lost their jobs, billions of people have suffered disruption to their lives."

“It’s not asking much for their to be a transparent investigation to ensure the world learns from this so we are better placed to prevent the impacts of such pandemics in the future.”

The origins of COVID-19 is not known, however the World Health Organisation speculated it originated from a live-animal wet market in the trade city of Wuhan, China.

The novel coronavirus has infected over three million people worldwide, killing over 211,000 people in just over four months.