From banquets to boardrooms: My one year of 'seeing what to believe' in China

Editor's note: Lincoln Humphries is a CGTN anchor. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN. 

This August, I'll mark one year working, living and breathing in Beijing. 

While whetting my appetite for enhanced people-to-people exchanges, I've also enjoyed countless, bountiful and hospitable banquets of delicious, shared Chinese delicacies, seasoned liberally with my own servings of colorful Aussie anecdotes. 

Pleasingly, what's been achieved diplomatically and commercially between our two countries in that time is equally satisfying for all parties at the table.

As I pen this commentary in July 2025, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has returned to China for his second official tour. 

Although this visit has been short on significant bilateral announcements – beyond ongoing trade cooperation and normalization – it’s a particularly lengthy six-day state visit spanning Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu. 

This extended stay is intended to underline the growing gravitas of what are now progressively repaired relations.

The coalition Australian government's call for an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19 in April 2020 saw tariffs and restrictions imposed by China on signature Australian exports such as coal, barley, wine, timber, seafood and beef – resulting in significant economic disruption. 

Chinese investment in Australia also declined during this period. 

In 2022, at the G20 summit, Labor Prime Minister Albanese met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, resulting in an eventual easing of several trade restrictions. Since then, virtually all of the restrictions imposed have been lifted.

Shortly after my arrival, in September 2024, I covered the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS). (In 2025, Australia will be the guest country of honor when Beijing hosts CIFTIS once again). 

Gracious with his time for a live interview on our Global Business show, Austrade China General Manager Dominic Trindade noted, "China and Australia are natural trading partners with a long history."ei

Much of that history has been dominated by resources from Australia and manufactured products from China. 

Trindade, however, highlighted that trade in services is a significant but less visible component. 

In particular, education and tourism opportunities abound. 

Australians are now among the many nationalities welcome to enjoy 30 days of visa-free travel in China.

Balancing work with play – also in September – I revelled in the Australian Chamber of Commerce's (AustCham) marquee event, "The Ball on the Wall." 

AustCham Chair Vaughn Barber was an interviewee I sought keenly. 

"China and Australia have significant potential for closer economic ties despite challenges in the global trade environment," he said. 

Highlighting potential and appetite for growth, he said, "Australian companies are not retreating from the China market. Seventy percent of the more than 400 companies we surveyed said China remains a top or one of the top three priority markets for global investment."

He underscored the mutual benefits available by combining China's leadership in renewable energy, electric vehicles and consumer markets with Australia’s strengths in minerals, LNG (liquified natural gas), agri-food and manufacturing.

A powerful representative of Australia's traditional mineral export prowess, but also our future, greener potential, is Fortescue Metals CEO Dino Otranto, another fascinating interviewee. "China's clean energy technology, combined with Australia's abundant solar and wind sources, will be effective in controlling carbon emissions," he told me. 

"Though demand from China has plateaued, underlying global supply challenges are being underestimated. Fortescue is controlling costs and leveraging AI and renewable energy to meet these challenges," he said.

It's been a particular pleasure to interview Australian business leaders who take the time to make their presence felt in Beijing, including Christine Holgate, Team Global Express CEO, who visited to solidify a strategic partnership with Shenzhen-based SF Express. 

"All I've seen coming up here is just very much a welcoming of organizations and a real desire to actually do shared learnings and collaborate. 

"I think sometimes when you work in a very developed country, people can fall into ‘we know everything about a subject matter.’ The thing for e-commerce and logistics is, it's China that’s leading the world. We need to come here and learn," Holgate said.

These are valuable lessons I’ve been fortunate to glean from the expertise of figures such as Holgate, but also from my time spent in China.

Although I've been away from home for a year now, I keep closely in touch with Australian media coverage of China issues. 

It’s often disappointingly one-dimensional and bereft of the necessary nuance – which is understandable given the complexities of, in and surrounding China. 

Although I'm doing my best, you can’t learn China from news clips alone.

As I've heard AustCham Chair Vaughn Barber extol many times during the surplus of social settings provided by the chamber:

"Yan jian wei shi" ("眼见为实" or "seeing is believing"). 

After seeing and feeling, for myself, I believe more Australians must come and see China for themselves. The doors are wide open.

The Lucky Country has endured mixed fortunes, and the Sleeping Dragon has been awake to the world for quite some time now. The Land Down Under and the Middle Kingdom are both lands of plenty; as long as we keep seats at each other's table, there will always be plenty to go around.