Latest news with #AustralianChamberof
RTHK
2 days ago
- Business
- RTHK
Albanese visit elevated Sino-Australia ties: chamber
Albanese visit elevated Sino-Australia ties: chamber President Xi Jinping hosted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Great Hall of the People last week. Photo: Xinhua Jason Chang speaking to Chloe Feng A senior representative of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong said that the week-long China visit by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese marked a "strategic shift" in bilateral ties for both countries. In a high-profile tour, Albanese visited Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu over six days earlier this month, in what's dubbed as "panda diplomacy" to woo business opportunities and investment from the mainland. President Xi Jinping also hailed the visit as a "reset" of ties between the two nations, after relations deteriorated following a call by Albanese's predecessor, Scott Morrison, to launch an independent investigation into the causes of the Covic pandemic. But in an interview with RTHK, Jason Chang, the chamber's deputy chair, said that the two countries were now on the track to elevate their relations to the next stage. "In my opinion, the trip was one of the most significant in the Australia-China bilateral history, as it's the first one that's occurred since the period of geopolitical uncertainty, after the stabilising of the two countries' relations," Chang said. He added Albanese's second visit to China, following his first in 2023, boosted confidence among businesses. "Despite the geopolitical uncertainties, China, in fact, remained Australia's largest trading partner, and for the past 16 years, the China market [to Australia] is larger than that of Japan, South Korea, the US, and India, combined. "There aren't many countries in the world that has such a large proportion of its trade and export with a single country," said Chang, who's also the co-founder and chief executive of EMR Capital. The trade veteran, whose company focuses on natural resources, critical minerals and energy transition, also noted while the partnership in clean energy-related technologies came "naturally given their complementary economics", the two sides could also look into other areas, such as education and sports. "China has leading-edge technology in many segments and has invested significantly, in EVs, energy storage technology over the last few decades. "At the same time, Australia has significant IPs and skills in all of these areas, including resources, energy, and education. "Significant innovation is happening in China, there's some groundbreaking technologies, as we all know, and they have so much to offer to students from Australia and around the world," he said. Looking ahead, Chang expected the two sides to continue to manage differences, while enhancing bilateral trade and investment appetite against the backdrop of US tariff threats.
West Australian
03-07-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Australian news and politics live: Industry leaders call on Albanese to stand firm on Trump tariff talks
Scroll down for the latest news and updates. Qantas has issued a new statement after a major cyber attack compromised the personal data of up to six million customers. The breach, discovered on June 30, involved a cybercriminal targeting a third-party platform used by a Qantas contact centre, exposing names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, and frequent flyer numbers. Group CEO Vanessa Hudson acknowledged the seriousness of the incident, saying, 'We know that data breaches can feel deeply personal and understand the genuine concern this creates for our customers. Right now we're focused on providing the answers and transparency they deserve.' She added, 'Our investigation is progressing well with our cybersecurity teams working alongside leading external specialists to determine what information has been accessed.' Qantas has apologised to customers, is contacting those affected directly, and has set up a dedicated support line for identity protection advice and updates as the investigation continues. Industry leaders are calling on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to hold firm in trade negotiations with the US as Donald Trump's 90-day tariff freeze nears its end. With the US recently striking a tariff deal with Vietnam, Australian exporters remain concerned about ongoing uncertainty and the risk of increased costs. Despite the Albanese government proposing $50 million in support for affected sectors, business groups are eager to see strong leadership and clear allocation of funds. Economists warn that even if more deals are reached, 'exporters and importers are likely to continue facing high uncertainty for months and quarters to come.' 'Fundamentally, Australia has nothing to apologise for here,' said Andrew McKellar, Chief Executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 'Honestly, I don't think there's anything more that could have been done by the Australian government, here or through our mission in Washington.' National Farmers' Federation president David Jochinke added, 'We've stood staunchly behind the federal government's principles-based approach when negotiating trade and tariffs and encourage them to continue this method.'
AU Financial Review
09-06-2025
- Business
- AU Financial Review
Three reasons why you should ‘chill out' over Labor's super tax
At a recent Committee for Economic Development of Australia gathering to discuss the process for securing difficult economic and social reforms, I was reminded of the seminal process pursued by Rob Fitzgerald, then chairman of the Council of Social Services and myself, then president of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to secure the major tax reform of the introduction of the GST. The course of action we pursued was simple. We drew together 100 representatives from all sections of the community and, in a tax summit, reached agreement on this significant tax reform, which a small steering group pursued through to the next federal election.
