On 11 June, AustCham’s Chair, Vaughn Barber, and CEO, Tian Zhang spoke with “Invest Shanghai” to explore AustCham China’s latest 2025 Doing Business in China survey. The report, its most comprehensive to date, collected insights from 858 companies deeply engaged in bilateral trade and investment. It revealed that nearly 70% of surveyed foreign firms still rank China among their top three global investment destinations for the next three years. In 2024, over 75% reported profitability in China, with 51% experiencing year-on-year revenue growth.

The report identifies three priority sectors for future growth: resources, agribusiness, and the green supply chain, which includes clean energy technologies, electric vehicles, and critical minerals. These findings reaffirm China’s strengths in economic scale, innovation leadership, and its role as a hub for emerging industries.

“Far beyond raw data, these results reflect business confidence in China’s long-term prospects,” said AustCham China Chair Vaughn Barber. He noted the natural economic complementarity between Australia and China across both traditional and strategic sectors—from LNG and iron ore to education, biotech, and clean energy.

CEO Tian Zhang added that clean energy has emerged as the most mutually prioritized sector for two-way trade and investment. “There’s real potential for synergy when Australia’s innovation and resource strengths are matched with China’s manufacturing scale and market demand,” she said.

Geographically, while firms maintain strong presences in Beijing and Shanghai, many are expanding into fast-growing innovation hubs like Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chengdu, and Hainan. Australian brands continue to hold competitive appeal in China, particularly in areas such as food safety, sustainability, and quality assurance.

Read the article with “Invest Shanghai” [link] to learn more about the strategic shifts shaping Australia–China business engagement in the years ahead.