Economic Watch: Australian businesses see opportunities for growth at 9th CIIE

SYDNEY, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Representatives from Australian enterprises, organizations, and industry bodies have voiced their enthusiasm for participating in the ninth China International Import Expo (CIIE), highlighting the expo as a vital platform to deepen trade ties with China.

The CIIE promotion activities held on Thursday and Friday in Sydney attracted nearly 100 businesses and organizations from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and Tasmania, spanning sectors including agriculture, health, and resources.

"We believe the CIIE is a premier platform for our engagement with the Chinese business community and will help us develop our trade," said Susan Kahwati, head of Green Economy and Agrifood at Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), adding that the Australian government is fully committed to supporting an even stronger presence at the event.

"The CIIE is our largest investment in an event or an exhibition anywhere in the world, not just in dollars, but also in the effort that we put into going to this and making it worthwhile for our clients that are attending," said Anna Fedeles, general manager of International Operations at Trade and Investment Queensland.

While a record number of 256 Australian businesses were represented at the eighth CIIE, Fedeles revealed that Queensland has also sent its largest ever delegation anywhere in the world, with over 110 representatives of more than 50 companies from the Australian state.

"We took up about one third of Australia's national pavilion, and the results were really excellent," she said, adding that Queensland secured nearly half of the national total in deals during the six-day event.

She attributed the success to their targeted strategy of leveraging e-commerce platforms, live streaming, and key opinion leaders, citing the example of the Australian firefighters who went viral online and drew huge crowds to their booth at CIIE 2025.

"(This year,) I hope we have more companies that have never been to China because it's a really good way to test China's consumer interest," said Fedeles.

Launched in 2018 as the world's first national-level expo dedicated to imports, the CIIE was designed to expand China's opening up and turn its vast market into a shared opportunity for the world. Preparations for the ninth CIIE in Shanghai are now in full swing, with over 80,000 square meters of its designated business exhibition space already booked.

"We are very much looking forward to such a huge trade opportunity to share our products," said Dale Williams, founder and chief distiller of Tasmanian Spirits Pty Ltd, which will make its debut at the upcoming CIIE.

A baijiu lover himself, Williams noted that China has a long history of spirits but is still relatively new to whiskey -- an opportunity he sees to introduce something new as part of a cultural exchange.

"The Chinese market is very attractive. China has a growing middle class. There is a lot of potential, which is very exciting," he added.

Loris H Hassall, a Sydney-based hides and skins supplier, also hopes to find new customers and explore the Chinese market in its first CIIE journey.

"Now we participate in many other trade shows in China, and the CIIE seems to be the biggest one," said Andrew Hassall, director of Loris H Hassall Trading Pty Ltd, "It's said to be like the 'Olympics of trade shows', so it could be important." ■