Chinese investment in Australia plunged by 61% last year, new data shows

Researcher Shiro Armstrong says decline most likely due to Australia's changed foreign investment settings amid Covid

Chinese investment in Australia has collapsed, falling 61% in 2020, according to new data from researchers at the Australian National University.

The university's Chinese Investment in Australia database recorded just more than $1bn of investment in Australia in 2020, down from $2.6bn in 2019 and well short of the peak of $16.5bn in 2016. The drop follows a 47% decrease in 2019.