SYDNEY, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Australia and China should deepen trade and investment cooperation, share technological achievements and explore new opportunities together, Vaughan Barber, national president of the Australia China Business Council (ACBC), said in an interview with Xinhua.
Founded in 1994, ACBC is the leading industry body representing Australian businesses in China and works to promote commercial ties between the two countries.
Looking ahead, Barber believes the two sides can further integrate expertise, technology and investment to develop better products, build new skills and create stronger companies.
Barber recently led an Australian business delegation to a conference in Shenzhen, where companies discussed power, chips, data centers and AI applications. He said he was impressed by how China develops technology, infrastructure and commercial applications in parallel, and noted China's clear advantages in electric vehicles, batteries and clean energy.
In his view, Australia needs a deeper understanding of these capabilities as it seeks to lift productivity and make its energy transition more affordable, and closer cooperation with China can help break through bottlenecks.
He cited Woodside Energy's Scarborough floating production unit, whose hull and topsides were built in China before being towed to waters off Western Australia. "This shows Australia's resource development can draw on China's industrial capacity," he said. The unit, built with the participation of four Chinese shipyards, arrived in Australia in January and will create thousands of jobs in Western Australia.
Barber said the economies are highly complementary. In housing, for example, Australian and Chinese firms are working on modular construction projects that combine Chinese manufacturing capacity with Australian design, building expertise and standards.
He argued that Chinese investment can help Australia raise productivity, add value to resources and strengthen domestic industrial capability, aligning with Australia's manufacturing agenda. "We look forward to deeper trade and economic cooperation that helps companies in both countries become more competitive, create quality jobs and deliver lasting benefits to both peoples," he said.
