The Australian
| Chinese investment in Australia soars to $4.8bn
The Chinese government has reported that direct investment into Australia from China soared by 56 per cent in 2016 over 2015, to $4.8 billion.
Ying Staton, Asia director of strategic advisory firm Global Counsel, wrote in Singapore’s Straits Times this week that “Australia is of great strategic value for China”. “A shortage of agricultural land, exacerbated by systemic pollution and recurrent food contamination scandals, has made food security a pressing concern and created an appetite for Australia’s vast farms and dairies.”