Chinese investment in Australia plummeted by more than 61 percent in 2020, according to new data from The Australia National University (ANU). This follows the continual downward trend of Chinese investment in Australia since the 2015-16 financial year. The university’s Chinese Investment in Australia (CHIIA) Database reported that the total investment in 2020 added up to just over A$1 billion (US$775 million), down from $2.6 billion in the previous year. It was also generated by only 20 deals. The database has been operating since 2014 and pays particular attention to tracking investors back to their ultimate parent companies rather than focusing on the immediate origin of the investor. The large majority of the investment—86 percent—came from Chinese companies already established within Australia, not directly from foreign firms. Shiro Armstrong, Director of the East Asian Bureau of Economic Research, attributed the fall to diplomatic tensions, additional scrutiny of foreign investment by the government, and the effects of COVID-19. …
Chinese investment in Australia plummeted by more than 61 percent in 2020, according to new data from The Australia National University (ANU). This follows the continual downward trend of Chinese investment in Australia since the 2015-16 financial year. The university’s Chinese Investment in Australia (CHIIA) Database reported that the total investment in 2020 added up to just over A$1 billion (US$775
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