Research is the basis on which UTS:ACRI seeks to inform Australia’s engagement with the PRC. By uncovering facts and deepening understanding though undertaking and supporting evidence-based analysis, UTS:ACRI research serves to promote sound public and private sector decision-making, as well as raising the level of Australia-China relations literacy amongst the general public.
Traditional academic output such as scholarly journal articles and conference papers are complemented by a flow of research reports, polls, fact sheets, briefs and commentary pieces that explore contemporary developments.
Reports
Closing the door: Why Chinese investment is collapsing in Australia even as investors go global
The value of new investment from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) being approved by the Australian government is now so low that the quarterly reports of...
In Limbo: Perspectives on Australia-China Research Mobility
International academic mobility between Australia and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) forms part of the global research ecosystem. In recent years,...
Beyond the tariff: A decade of ChAFTA and the new rules of engagement
The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) marks the 10th anniversary of its entry into force on December 20 2025. Over its first decade, ChAFTA has...
Polling
Public reasoning on Australia-China relations: Insights from open-ended responses to the UTS:ACRI/BIDA Poll 2025
This UTS:ACRI Analysis draws on 403 open-ended responses from the UTS:ACRI/BIDA Poll 2025 to examine how Australians articulate views on Australia’s...
UTS:ACRI/BIDA Poll 2025
Download report (PDF, 8MB)
UTS:ACRI/BIDA Poll 2024
Introduction and executive summary (711KB)
Commentary
ASIO is an expensive and blunt tool in combating Chinese interference
Applying a securitisation lens to Chinese-Australian communities casts them as a potential threat and erodes trust. A universal, rights-oriented approach would...
PERSPECTIVES | What you shouldn’t miss in the Trump-Xi summit: The bargain over AI dominance
This article appeared in UTS:ACRI's Perspectives on May 12 2026. Perspectives is the commentary series of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the...
FAST FOCUS | Chinese investment in Australia
Fast Focus by the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS:ACRI) provides concise, informed commentary by UTS:ACRI...
Analyses
The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA): An Australian assessment of core outcomes a decade on
After 21 rounds and more than a decade of negotiations, the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) was signed in Canberra on June 17 2015 by Australian...
Looking back and looking forward: What to expect in Australia-PRC relations in 2025
This analysis overviews the relationship between Australia and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 2024 before looking ahead to 2025 and the critical...
Chinese-Australian and Chinese-American views on news: A comparative study
This analysis highlights some key commonalities between Chinese-Australians and Chinese-Americans in their reactions to their domestic English-language media’s...
Journal articles and books
What shapes Australia’s perception of China as a threat? The media, foreign policy, and public opinion
This article, 'What shapes Australia’s perception of China as a threat? The media, foreign policy, and public opinion', was published in China in the World,...
Reading news about China: how much do Chinese Australians trust the Australian media?
This article, 'Reading news about China: how much do Chinese Australians trust the Australian media?', was published in Communication Research and Practice,...
When science meets geopolitics: global AI research network transformation (2000–2025)
share_windows This article was published in Science and Public Policy, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scag017
Briefs and working papers
Can middle powers save the rules-based international order when the US violates its principles?
share_windows This policy brief appeared in the Toda Peace Institute's Policy Briefs and Reports series on March 24 2026.
The Nationals’ turn: PRC policy after Coalition breakdown
On May 20 2025, the National Party formally withdrew from its longstanding partnership with the Liberal Party, citing policy differences and, reportedly,...
Sussan Ley and the PRC
On May 13 2025, Sussan Ley was elected leader of the Liberal Party, narrowly defeating her opponent, Angus Taylor, 29 votes to 25. In doing so, she became the...
Factsheets
Australia’s cost of living crisis and the PRC
Cost-of-living pressures have intensified debate in Australia about housing affordability and the role of foreign investment in residential real estate,...
Australian housing availability and affordability: The impact of Chinese investment and migration
According to the UTS:ACRI/BIDA Poll 2023, 73 percent of Australians take the view that ‘Foreign buyers from China drive up Australian housing prices’, while 68...
The Australia-PRC trade and investment relationship: 2022 timeline
While a change of government in Australia marked the beginning of a political thaw between Canberra and Beijing, the series of formal and informal trade bans...
Government submissions
Government submissions
As part of its research and public engagement activities, the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS:ACRI) supports...