Western Australia’s long-standing relationship with China is entering a new chapter, with investment and innovation partnerships set to drive opportunities well beyond raw materials.
The evolving relationship was celebrated in Perth this week at the eighth China-WA Strategic Dialogue, followed by a China National Day event at the Ritz-Carlton.
WA Premier Roger Cook led his third meeting at the Strategic Dialogue, with 29 senior representatives of some of WA’s biggest Chinese trade and investment partners present.
Among those around the table were Baosteel Resources Australia Managing Director Feng Zhou, Tianqi Lithium Australia Energy CEO Raj Surendran, Australia China Business Council WA (ACBCWA) President James Clarke, and Department of Energy and Economic Diversification Director General Rebecca Brown. Pictured above with the Premier are James Clarke (left) and Feng Zhou.
In his opening remarks to the Dialogue, the Premier acknowledged that China had been WA’s largest trading partner for more than two decades, with two-way goods trade reaching $149 billion in 2025. He also acknowledged the unique nature of the event.
“The WA Government places enormous value on this dialogue and China is the only country with which we hold this form of engagement,” Cook said.
Iron ore, lithium, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) remain among WA’s biggest exports to China.
Clarke said that the ACBCWA had established the Strategic Dialogue in Beijing in 2018 with a simple purpose that hadn’t changed.
“[The Dialogue] provides a platform for some of Western Australia’s largest Chinese trade and investment partners to speak directly with the highest levels of the WA Government about the opportunities and challenges affecting their trade and investment with our State,” he said.
“Many of the companies around the table have invested in Western Australia, employed Western Australians, and traded with our State for decades.
“It is important that they have an opportunity to speak candidly about what is working, where they see opportunities, and where there are barriers that may affect future investment or trade.”
From resources to innovation
At the China National Day event following the successful Dialogue, Cook highlighted the opportunity to harness the strengths of the partnership in new ways.
“The next chapter of our relationship will be shaped not only by what WA produces; it will be shaped by what we can achieve together, by combining our expertise, by investing in innovation, by growing new industries,” the Premier said.
“If we continue to work together, it will carry us towards even greater opportunities in the years ahead.”
The ACBCWA president said after the Dialogue that its scope had significantly broadened since the first event in 2018.
“Resources remain fundamental to the WA-China relationship, but we are increasingly talking about technology, advanced manufacturing, value-adding, the energy transition, aviation, and new forms of investment and partnership,” he said.
He added that the opportunity for WA was not to move away from the resources relationship that has served both sides so well, but to build on it.
“We already have the trade relationships, the investment relationships, and, importantly, the trust. The question now is how we use that foundation to create the next generation of economic cooperation between Western Australia and China.”
Fortescue builds on partnerships
Fortescue (ASX:FMG) Director Integrated Operations Katie Charuga pointed to the company’s long relationship with China as an example of how the partnership is evolving.
The company made its first shipment of iron ore to China 18 years ago. This year, it passed the milestone of shipping more than 200 million tonnes in a year.
But Charuga told the 250 attendees at the China National Day celebration that the traditional resources relationship was becoming a platform for new technology and lower-emissions industries.
She said Fortescue was working with Chinese companies including XCMG, BYD, Longi, and Envision on the energy transition.
These relationships draw on China’s capabilities in batteries, renewable energy, technology, and electric equipment. They are also helping to bring new technologies into Fortescue’s operations at scale.
Another example is Fortescue’s work with China Baowu, which involves exploring ways to reduce emissions across the steel value chain.
“The energy transition is one of the most transformative challenges of our generation,” Charuga said. “And Australia and China have a very important role to play in making this happen.”
“We can continue to support each other, build expertise working through challenges together, and put new technologies into practice. That’s how, together, we can build competitive industries while making progress on emissions.”
Picture: Rift Photography / ACBCWA
