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Mission Statement


To advocate and support the case for a pro-business Australia China free trade agreement

China Business Focus is a group of businesses that seek a positive result for Australian business from the negotiation of an Australia China free trade agreement. The group's activities include advocacy, communication, research and representation.

The Australian Government has indicated interest in negotiating a free trade agreement with China. China is the world's fastest growing economy. Economic growth in Australia will rely, in part, on our ability to maintain a pro-growth institutional relationship with China. A positive result for business in an Australia China free trade agreement is in accordance with Australia's national interest.

Free trade agreements (FTAs) provide an opportunity to reduce the cost of doing business and expand business opportunities. They can increase certainty of trade and investment and lower commercial risk by providing rights enforceable in international law for foreign companies to trade, invest and operate in foreign markets. Advanced free trade agreements today do far more than reduce border controls on imports. They can provide legal rights of establishment in foreign markets, provide rights to compete, protect foreign investment, reduce and eliminate regulatory discrimination and protect intellectual property. The breadth of coverage in an FTA depends on the willingness of the negotiating parties.

Trade agreements only enhance prospects for business if business is fully involved in the negotiating process. Business is most familiar with the costly barriers in its markets. If business is not adequately consulted then trade agreements can be negotiated that do not sufficiently comprehend or prioritise business interests. This represents a competitive opportunity lost.

What a successful agreement will look like
An Australia China Free Trade Agreement should stand to increase trade and investment between Australia and China. It should provide tangible benefits for business over normal matter of course.

The group will strive for an FTA that legally enshrines reductions to trade barriers and will also seek inclusion of beyond the border measures that improve opportunities for business. An agreement should also create opportunities for Australia and China to support institution building in non-trade areas, such as research and development and technical co-operation.

The group will seek an agreement that will meet the following goals:

Specific post-border measures:
  • Reduce restrictions on foreign investors;
  • Support market transition and agreement on collaboration and capacity building;
  • Protect business rights;
  • Improve standards and testing; and
  • Facilitate the free movement of business people.

    • Specific border issues:
  • Reduce tariff barriers;
  • Improve administration of quarantine on particular products; and
  • Improve the administration of border and customs control.

    • What a Scoping Study should achieve
    The outcomes of the scoping study should shape the structure of the Agreement. China Business Focus (CBF) will seek to ensure that its issues of concern - particularly post-border matters - have their topic headings in the scoping study, and their own chapters in the agreement. The scoping study should also highlight areas for co-operation between Australian and Chinese business sectors to advance common interests. From a negotiating standpoint, the importance of these need particular emphasis, to ensure they are adequately addressed in the FTA.

    Initial focus of the Group
    The Group will seek to shape the public perception of the proposed FTA that a negotiation will not be successfully concluded unless it delivers positive and direct gains for Australian business. The Group sees it in the national interest to pursue an agreement positive for business. A result which secures just a "political outcome" or principally addresses "political apprehensions" in Australia about an FTA will not serve that result.

    Broad Objectives
    The group will promote the following broad objectives:
  • An FTA should secure direct and commercially effective benefits for business; and not produce just a political outcome;
  • It is in Australia's long term economic interest to secure commitments from China, bound in international law, which enable business to operate more freely in China's market;
  • The FTA may need to cover areas not traditionally covered in other FTAs;
  • The FTA should support and not detract from China's full transition to a market economy and its full participation in the WTO as a leading global economy; and
  • Full consultation with government as work progresses in the scoping study and before results are finally concluded with the Chinese.

    • Key Activities
    These interests will be advanced during the process of the scoping study and subsequently, the negotiation. This will involve:
  • Participating in public discussion to focus it on the broad objectives;
  • Consulting with government at ministerial and departmental level, to promote understanding of the negotiation process and the interests of business;
  • Monitoring the core trade issues informing China's relationships with Australia and its major trading partners; and
  • Representing the interests of the group at key forums.




    • China Business Focus is managed by ITS Global, Consultants on Global Issues.
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