China and Australia
China is a central market for Australian exports, and Australia connects resource supply with education and other services. The trade treaty provides a stable framework but does not eliminate political or security disagreements. The relationship encompasses economic interdependence, social contacts and dialogue mechanisms for managing differences.
Analysis reviewed: 2026-10-07 · Indicators updated: 2026-10-07Resources and services
The economies have complementarities, but trade exposure can concentrate risks.
Bilateral indicators
Blank cells: data unavailable.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Goods trade | 299,795 M AUDprovisional | 2025 · ABS |
| Goods: China to Australia | 123,890 M AUDprovisional | 2025 · ABS |
| Goods: Australia to China | 175,905 M AUDprovisional | 2025 · ABS |
| Services trade | 26,063 M AUD | 2025 · ABS |
| Export share: China to Australia | ||
| Export share: Australia to China | 33.66 %provisional | 2025 · ABS |
| Investment stock: China in Australia | ||
| Investment stock: Australia in China |
Definitions and sources
Trade adds both directions. Shares refer to the country’s total goods exports; investment is an accumulated stock, not an annual flow. Every figure retains the currency and period of its source. BEA positions are historical-cost estimates based on the immediate counterpart, not market values or investment by ultimate owner. ‘More than’ indicates a lower bound, not an exact amount. A recorded stock does not establish new activity or authorisation to operate under sanctions.
- Goods trade
- 2025 · ABS · ABS (other direction) · Goods: merchandise; FOB exports and imports at customs value. Second half-year provisional; China excludes Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
- Goods: China to Australia
- 2025 · ABS · Goods: merchandise; FOB exports and imports at customs value. Second half-year provisional; China excludes Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
- Goods: Australia to China
- 2025 · ABS · Goods: merchandise; FOB exports and imports at customs value. Second half-year provisional; China excludes Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
- Services trade
- 2025 · ABS · ABS (other direction) · Services: Australia's credits plus the magnitude of debits, calendar year 2025; not fiscal year 2024/25.
- Export share: Australia to China
- 2025 · ABS · Goods: merchandise; FOB exports and imports at customs value. Second half-year provisional; China excludes Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
Country comparison
Period and source beside each figure · est. = estimate by the stated institution.
| Indicator | China | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal GDP | 19.5 trillion USD2025 · WB | 1.8 trillion USD2025 · WB |
| GDP per capita | 13,861.97 USD2025 · WB | 65,129.72 USD2025 · WB |
| GDP growth | 4.96 %2025 · WB | 1.35 %2025 · WB |
| Policy interest rate | 1.4 %2026-09-24 · PBoC | 4.6 %2026-09-29 · RBA |
| Inflation · annual average | 0.06 %Annual average · 2025 · WB | 2.87 %Annual average · 2025 · WB |
| Inflation · latest year-on-year figure | 0.8 %Year-on-year · Aug. 2026 · NBS China | 4 %Headline CPI · 2026-08 · year-on-year · ABS |
| Unemployment | 4.62 %ILO est.2025 · WB | 4.09 %ILO est.2025 · WB |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -7.9 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | -2.8 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Gross public debt (% of GDP) | 99.2 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | 51 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | 3.77 %2025 · WB | -2.68 %2025 · WB |
| Population | 1,406,585,0002025 · WB | 27,614,4112025 · WB |
| Area | 9,562,910 km²2023 · BM / FAO | 7,741,220 km²2023 · WB |
| Military expenditure | ||
| Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
Definitions, dates and sources
Blank cells are not zero. Average annual inflation and the latest year-on-year figure appear in separate rows: they are not the same measure. Every annual indicator retains its reference year; when the years differ, the figures are identified as not directly comparable. When a figure is unavailable from the World Bank, an annual IMF estimate is used and identified as such. The latest year-on-year figure is the latest official release verified as of 7 October 2026. This includes advance releases marked as provisional. Mexico may have a fortnightly figure before the full month is published; it is not automatically compared with a monthly figure. The publication date is retained in each source’s details; it does not replace the observation period or the annual average. Policy rates carry their own dates and represent different instruments. Spain and France share the ECB rate. Balances are positive for surpluses and negative for deficits. The IMF may use fiscal years; unemployment retains each source’s definition (ILO estimates, IMF WEO or PCBS), as stated in the details. For Palestine, debt and the fiscal balance cover central government and retain the PCBS definition; they are not presented as consolidated general government. These are economic magnitudes, not measures of relationship quality.
Area retains each source’s territorial coverage; it does not determine sovereignty or effective control. Canada uses an archived national geographic reference. Military expenditure retains the 2024 SIPRI sample distributed by the World Bank: the amount and percentage of GDP use that same definition, which differs from NATO’s. It is not an approved budget or a 2026 figure. Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Military expenditure database · Terms of use0
Indicators reviewed: 2026-10-07. Each source retains its original access date; this review does not turn all the data into 2026 observations. Figures may be revised.
- Nominal GDP
- Current USDChina: 2025 · World BankAustralia: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- GDP per capita
- Current USD per personChina: 2025 · World BankAustralia: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- GDP growth
- Annual real change (%)China: 2025 · World BankAustralia: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Policy interest rate
- Central bank instrument (%)China: 2026-09-24 · PBoC: 7-day reverse repo · People’s Bank of China · Published: 2026-09-24 · Rate of the official operation consulted, not the mortgage LPR or the PSL lending rate. Subsequent operations with zero volume are not converted into a 0% interest rate.Australia: 2026-09-29 · Cash rate target · RBA · Official central-bank decision; not a commercial lending rate or a bill yield.
- Inflation · annual average
- Average annual change in headline CPI (%)China: 2025 · Average annual CPI change (%) · World BankAustralia: 2025 · Annual average change in the CPI (%) · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Inflation · latest year-on-year figure
- Headline CPI relative to the same period of the previous year (%); monthly or fortnightly frequency statedChina: 2026-08 · Headline CPI change relative to the same month of the previous year (%) · National Bureau of Statistics of China · Published: 2026-09-09 · National headline year-on-year CPI, not monthly inflation or an annual average.Australia: 2026-08 · National headline CPI, change from the same month of the previous year · ABS · Published: 2026-09-30 · Official monthly data. Not mixed with the annual average. · Alternative official source; verified 2026-10-07
- Unemployment
- % of the labour force; definition used by the stated institutionChina: 2025 · World Bank · ILO est.Australia: 2025 · ILO modelled estimate, % of the labour force · World Bank · ILO est. · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Budget balance
- General government (% of GDP)China: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.Australia: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · IMF WEO estimate, not a monthly observation. Retains the country's fiscal year where it differs from the calendar year.
- Gross public debt
- General government (% of GDP)China: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.Australia: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · IMF WEO estimate, not a monthly observation. Retains the country's fiscal year where it differs from the calendar year.
- Current account balance
- % of GDPChina: 2025 · World BankAustralia: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Population
- PeopleChina: 2025 · World BankAustralia: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Area
- Total area in km²; territorial coverage of the sourceChina: 2023 · Total area including inland waters; territorial coverage of the source · World Bank · FAOAustralia: 2023 · World Bank / FAO · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Military expenditure
- Current USD per year; SIPRI series
- Military expenditure (% of GDP)
- Percentage of GDP; SIPRI definition, not NATO’s definition
Other data specific to this relationship
Goods and services combined
326,000 M AUD2025
Total published by DFAT; not placed in the row measuring goods alone. [1]
Australian exports to the partner
196,000 M AUD2025
Includes goods and services; not an export share for goods alone. [1]
What they buy and sell
Documented selection, not an exhaustive list. Cells without a figure do not mean zero value; some products are identified without a verified amount.
China to Australia
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Australia to China
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Connections between people
Studies, tourism and community connections complement the trade relationship and retain their own statistical coverage. [1]
Residents, study and travel
Blank cells: data unavailable. Each measure retains its definition and period.
| Indicator | Value | Period / source |
|---|---|---|
| Residents from China living in Australia | ||
| Residents from Australia living in China | ||
| Study and training: China in Australia | ||
| Study and training: Australia in China | ||
| Academic stays: China in Australia | ||
| Academic stays: Australia in China | ||
| Travel: China to Australia | ||
| Travel: Australia to China |
What each figure measures
Residents are counted by nationality and the coverage of the stated register, not as people born in the other country or as new arrivals in one year. PERE includes dual nationals and people born outside Spain. Study with OPT and stays carrying academic credit are different measures. Travel may include several visits by the same person; FRONTUR arrivals require an overnight stay, whereas the Canadian survey includes day visits. These figures are neither added together nor automatically compared across directions.
Mobility data added or reviewed: 2026-10-07. Reference periods may be earlier.
Underlying ties
History, institutions and long-standing issues.
Raw materials, the market and economic exposure
DFAT describes a relationship based on economic complementarities and community connections. Australia supplies products used in Chinese industrial activity and consumption, while services such as education and tourism broaden trade. High demand can benefit export sectors while concentrating their exposure to regulatory or consumption changes in a single market. That exposure should be analysed by sector, not inferred solely from the bilateral total. [1]
What ChAFTA provides
The China–Australia Free Trade Agreement entered into force on 20 December 2015. It provides market-access commitments and rules allowing businesses to plan trade. Its existence does not mean that every product receives identical treatment or that every trade dispute is resolved. Liberalisation schedules and conditions applying to services must be read within the instrument, rather than equating a treaty with a general absence of restrictions. [2]
Education, tourism and territorial contacts
Social connections include education, tourism and relations between cities and territories. The Australian profile places these connections alongside trade and notes a tourism-cooperation memorandum signed in July 2025. Travellers, students and residents are different groups, and the same person may make several trips. Enrolments are not used to estimate resident populations, nor are tourist arrivals used to infer a community's feelings towards the other country. [1]
Recent developments
Recent developments and latest available data · Reviewed: 2026-10-07
The scale of trade in 2025
DFAT reports goods and services trade of 326,000 million Australian dollars in 2025. The aggregate conveys the economic scale but is not equivalent to merchandise trade alone. Australian goods and services exports to China were 196,000 million. The year, currency and inclusion of services accompany both figures; converting them to US dollars would require an additional exchange-rate basis that is not improvised here. [1]
A review to update the framework
The memorandum signed during Anthony Albanese's visit in July 2025 agrees to advance a general review of ChAFTA. DFAT has organised consultations with businesses and other institutions. Reviewing an agreement involves identifying possible changes and negotiating their incorporation; it does not mean that every participant's proposal has been accepted. The process opens a channel for addressing market access and implementation of the treaty, separate from political and security differences. [3]
Milestones and consequences
Sources and data
Periods and scope of the figures
DFAT's 2025 aggregates include goods and services and are expressed in AUD. They are not replaced with merchandise-only data or converted to another currency without a documented basis.
- China country brief
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- China–Australia Free Trade Agreement
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- ChAFTA review memorandum 2025–2026
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07