Two-way investment brief
Australia–China
China direct investment in Australia
A$36.2 bn
Total China investment in Australia
A$86.7 bn
Australian direct investment in China
A$2.4 bn
Total Australian investment in China
A$61.6 bn
Trend
Direct investment in both directions
- China in Australia
- Australia in China
Source: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (5352.0).
- Direct investment
- Portfolio investment
- Other investment
Source: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (5352.0).
Net transactions during the year; negative = net disinvestment
- China → Australia
- Australia → China
Source: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (5352.0).
Trade relationship
Australia–China trade
Investment and trade move together: the partners that invest most in Australia are usually major trading partners too. Goods trade is recorded monthly (latest: July 2026); services annually.
Two-way trade, 2025
A$326 bn
Goods exports to China, 2025
A$176 bn
Goods imports from China, 2025
A$124 bn
Services trade, 2025
A$26.1 bn
Calendar years, A$ (ABS merchandise trade)
- Exports to China
- Imports from China
Source: ABS, International Merchandise Trade (MERCH_EXP / MERCH_IMP), summed to calendar years.
Calendar years, A$ (ABS international trade in services by country)
- Exports to China
- Imports from China
Source: ABS, International Trade in Services by Country, calendar years.
Economic outlook
China’s economy
| IMF World Economic Outlook | 2024 | 2025 | 2026forecast | 2027forecast | 2028forecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real GDP growth | 5.0% | 5.0% | 4.4% | 4.0% | 4.0% |
| Inflation | 0.2% | 0.0% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 1.8% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.1% | 5.1% | 5.1% | 5.1% | 5.1% |
| Current account, % GDP | 2.2% | 3.7% | 3.5% | 3.3% | 3.0% |
| Fiscal balance, % GDP | −7.1% | −7.9% | −8.2% | −8.4% | −8.2% |
| Government gross debt, % GDP | 90.4% | 99.2% | 106.9% | 112.5% | 116.7% |
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook via the IMF DataMapper API. Years from 2026 are IMF projections; recent years may be estimates and are revised in each WEO round (April and October).
2025 at a glance
- New FDI from China
- A$3.5 bn
- New Australian FDI in China
- A$1.6 bn
- Direct investment income paid to investors
- A$2.1 bn
- Direct investment income earned by Australians
- —
China globally (World Bank)
- FDI outflows, 2024
- $192 bn · 3rd
- FDI inflows, 2025
- $80.0 bn
- GDP, 2025
- $19.50 tn
- Region · income
- East Asia & Pacific · Upper-middle income
Regulatory openness (OECD FDIRRI)
OECD index data loading — see FDI openness
Sources: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (cat. 5352.0), 2025 release, released 2026-05-06 — levels at 31 December and calendar-year flows and income, A$ millions, immediate counterparty basis (investment routed via third economies is attributed to the intermediate economy). World Bank WDI (US$). OECD FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index. np = not published for confidentiality; included in totalsPrepared independently by FDIstats from public statistics; not an Australian Government publication and not investment advice. For foreign investment rules, see the Treasury and FIRB.