Inaugural National Meeting

The inaugural China Matters National Meeting was held at the Australian Centre on China in the World (CIW) at the Australian National University (ANU) on 22 May. Held in partnership with CIW and the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, the meeting achieved the first of China Matters’ goals to bring together leading figures from policy, security and business to discuss off-the-record some of the pressing issues facing Australia-China relations today. The meeting’s 35 participants focused on policy recommendations for the Australian government.

The three panels focused on:

• What does China want from the region?
• How should Australia prepare for an alternative economic order?
• Chinese infrastructure investment in Australia: Are concerns warranted?

For more information see the Agenda, List of Participants, background papers and biographies of speakers, panellists and moderators. Linda Jakobson’s introductory remarks and Tom Switzer’s keynote address at the welcome dinner co-hosted by PwC are also available. See more photos of the meeting and welcome dinner here.

The project ‘China – Getting it Right for Australia’ was supported by the Commonwealth Government through the Australia–China Council of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.