Chatting about ChAFTA (China-Australia Free Trade Agreement)

Following the G20 Conference in Brisbane on 17 November 2014, Australia and China entered into a declaration of intent to enter into the Chinese-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA).

The declaration was executed by Australia's Minister for Trade and Investment, Andrew Robb, and China's Commerce Minister, Gao Hucheng, in front of both Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Chinese President Xi Jinping. This was part of a broader suite of 14 commercial agreements signed between the two countries, worth an estimated $20 billion.ⁱ This landmark event followed over nine years of protracted negotiations between the two countries in relation to a free trade agreement, which is expected to be signed in early 2015, with an opportunity to review in a further three years' time.