MELBOURNE, July 23 (Xinhua) -- China remains Australia's largest trading partner, and the stability and growth of the Chinese economy have direct and material consequences for Australian exporters, investors and businesses, said Rhys Roberts, national president of the Australia China Business Council (ACBC), in a recent interview with Xinhua.
He urged Australian businesses to prepare themselves to pursue the Chinese market "with the seriousness it deserves."
China's economic resilience in the first half of 2026 is remarkable given the global environment in which it has been achieved, Roberts said.
"The international landscape has rarely been more complex. Geopolitical tensions, shifting trade architectures and significant uncertainty in major economies have created headwinds for growth across the world. Against that backdrop, China's performance is a clear signal of the underlying strength of its economic fundamentals," said Roberts in a written reply to Xinhua's questions.
"From an Australian business perspective, a resilient Chinese economy is not simply good news for China. It is good news for Australia," he said.
China's GDP reached 69.57 trillion yuan (about 9.7 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2026, up 4.7 percent year on year at constant prices, according to data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics on July 15.
Thanks to its sustained commitment to openness, reflected in its import volumes ranking second worldwide for 17 consecutive years, China has been "one of the most important and underappreciated dimensions" of the Australia-China economic relationship, Roberts noted.
"Win-win cooperation is not merely a diplomatic phrase. It describes a commercial reality that ACBC members experience directly. When Australian exporters succeed in China, they create jobs and generate returns at home. When Chinese businesses invest and operate in Australia, they contribute to our economy and our communities," he said.
"That reciprocity is the foundation of a durable and genuinely beneficial bilateral relationship, and China's openness agenda strengthens it," he added.
As Roberts sees it, China's domestic consumption story is one of the most significant economic opportunities of this era, and Australian businesses are only beginning to understand its full scope.
"The emergence of service consumption, green consumption and new forms of consumption in China's market reflects a consumer base that is not only large but increasingly sophisticated, values-driven and internationally oriented. That is a profile that aligns very well with what Australia's best businesses offer."
The multi-tiered nature of Chinese domestic demand offers not only opportunities in China's largest and most established urban markets, but across a broader geography of cities and regions with growing middle-class populations and rising purchasing power.
Roberts hoped that with the help of ACBC, Australian businesses would understand the market landscape of China, build the right relationships, and engage with confidence and commercial discipline. ■