Oceania Business Council Delegation's China Tour

Oceania Business Council Delegation Attends the RCEP Huangshan Forum and Signs a Strategic Agreement to Advance China–Australia Trade Cooperation

From 4 to 6 June 2025, a delegation of the Oceania Business Council (OBAI) comprising Executive President Sunny Sun, Secretary-General Frank Perre, the Council's Treasurer and Deputy Secretary-General, and Li Juan, President of the Australia Anhui Merchants International Trade Promotion Council, was invited to the RCEP Local Governments and Friendship Cities Cooperation (Huangshan) Forum in Huangshan, Anhui. Hosted by the People's Government of Anhui Province, the forum brought together senior government officials, business leaders and representatives of international friendship cities from RCEP member states to explore new opportunities in regional economic integration and cross-border cooperation.

High-Level Dialogue on Shared Development

At the opening ceremony, Wu Weihua, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Liang Yanshun, Secretary of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee, Governor Wang Qingxian and other leaders delivered speeches stressing the importance of deepening international cooperation under the RCEP framework. The delegation held in-depth exchanges with representatives of RCEP member states including Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and the Republic of Korea on the potential for cooperation in the health industry, cross-border e-commerce and other fields.

Overseas Chinese Business Leaders Join Forces to Open Up Opportunities

At the RCEP Member States Overseas Chinese Business Dialogue, Sun Yunfei, Vice Chairman of the Anhui Provincial Committee of the CPPCC, spoke highly of the role overseas Chinese business leaders play in promoting international economic and trade cooperation. The Council met the alliance of Anhui-native overseas Chinese associations in RCEP countries and a number of enterprise representatives to explore new models for China–Australia cooperation in the health industry.

Strategic Agreement Signed to Deepen China–Australia Cooperation

During the forum, the Council reached an important consensus on cooperation with the Huangshan Municipal Bureau of Commerce and the Huangshan Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT Huangshan) and formally signed a cooperation agreement. Witnessed by Huang Jie, Director of the Huangshan Municipal Bureau of Commerce, and the Council's Secretary-General, Ye Qiong, President of CCPIT Huangshan, and Sunny Sun, Executive President of the Oceania Business Council, signed on behalf of the two sides. They will deepen cooperation in trade promotion, business matching and the health industry, supporting two-way investment and market expansion by Chinese and Australian enterprises.

At the forum the Council also engaged actively with Huangshan's specialty agricultural producers and cross-border e-commerce businesses, exchanging views on access to the Australian market and supply chain cooperation. Several Huangshan enterprises said they would attend as a group the Australia–China Health Industry Expo hosted by the Council, to expand further into the southern-hemisphere market.

Executive President Sunny Sun said: "This visit to Huangshan has been very productive. It has strengthened our ties with the governments and enterprises of RCEP member states and laid a solid foundation for the forthcoming Australia–China Health Industry Expo in Melbourne. We look forward to more Chinese enterprises entering the Australian market through the Council's platform."

During the "Huangshan Night" dinner, the delegation had a friendly exchange with Mr Deng Jiexun, an official of the Australian Embassy in Beijing, and Second Secretary Mr James Dunn, and discussed the forum's topics and the direction of China–Australia cooperation in a warm atmosphere.

Overseas Chinese Helping Development, Empowering Both Sides: The Oceania Business Council's Zhejiang Tour Business Matching Meeting Concludes Successfully

On 10 June 2025, the "Overseas Chinese Helping Development, Empowering Both Sides" business matching meeting of the Oceania Business Council's Zhejiang tour, organised by the Qiaohai Zhigong Station, was held at the Zhu Bingren Bronze Sculpture Museum in Hangzhou. Leaders of the United Front Work Department, the CPPCC committee and the Investment Promotion Bureau of Hangzhou's Shangcheng District and more than fifty entrepreneurs took part to explore new opportunities for China–Australia economic and trade cooperation.

Culture and Commerce Deeply Intertwined

Before the meeting, the delegation toured the Zhu Bingren Bronze Sculpture Museum, a national intangible cultural heritage site, experiencing the appeal of Chinese culture through its bronze art and giving the business exchange a cultural grounding. The meeting was chaired by Wu Yun, Director of the Council's Zhejiang Liaison Office, with a member of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the China Zhi Gong Party and vice president of the Hangzhou Overseas Chinese Chamber of Commerce attending throughout.

Precise Matching of Cooperation Opportunities

Executive President Sunny Sun gave a systematic introduction to the Council's resources and the preparations for the Australia–China Health Industry Expo. The participating enterprises spanned four fields: finance and investment, new energy, healthcare and international trade.

Continued Two-Way Empowerment

The event used the overseas Chinese community as a bridge and trade as the medium, with practical matching for win-win development. The two sides will deepen cooperation in finance and investment, new energy, healthcare and international trade, and help Chinese culture and industry go global and bring partners in.

Deepening Zhejiang–Australia Trade Cooperation: The Council Helps Enterprises from Both Sides Achieve Fruitful Results

International Trade and Investment Delegations' Zhejiang Tour (Australia Session)

From 9 to 13 June 2025, at the invitation of CCPIT Zhejiang, the Oceania Business Council delegation took part throughout the International Trade and Investment Delegations' Zhejiang Tour (Australia Session). The high-level, productive programme was attended throughout by Chen Jianzhong, President of CCPIT Zhejiang and the Zhejiang Chamber of International Commerce, CCPIT Zhejiang leader Lin Wei, and Zhuang Lingfei, Vice Mayor of Jinhua.

On 10 June the China (Zhejiang)–Australia Business Matching Meeting was held in Hangzhou. President Chen Jianzhong stressed the great potential of Zhejiang–Australia cooperation in his address, and Lin Wei chaired the meeting. Francesco Perre, Joint Secretary-General of the Oceania Business Council, said in his address that Zhejiang's strong industrial base and vibrant economy are highly complementary to Australia's resource endowments. At the meeting the Council signed an important memorandum of understanding with CCPIT Zhejiang.

On 12 June the delegation travelled on to Jinhua for a dedicated business matching meeting. Zhuang Lingfei, Vice Mayor of Jinhua, attended and spoke, and Luo Guoqing, Deputy Secretary-General of the municipal government, chaired the meeting. Enterprises from the two sides held in-depth exchanges in biomedicine, dairy products and other fields. During its stay in Zhejiang, with arrangements carefully made by CCPIT Zhejiang, the delegation visited well-known enterprises including Alibaba and Geely.

Preliminary figures put the value of cooperation intentions reached during the programme at RMB 109 million. Notably, the presentation of the forthcoming Australia–China Health Industry Expo in Melbourne drew an enthusiastic response from many Zhejiang enterprises.

The Council Helps Bozhou's Traditional Chinese Medicine Industry Go International, Opening a New Chapter in Australia–China Health Industry Cooperation

From 15 to 17 June 2023, the Oceania Business Council delegation was invited to join the China Association of Pharmaceutical Commerce's study visit to Bozhou, reaching a number of cooperation consensuses with the local government and leading pharmaceutical and health enterprises.

In-Depth Exchanges Between Government and Business Leaders

On 15 June, Mayor Qin Fengyu of Bozhou hosted a welcome reception and met the delegation. At the symposium that followed, Qin Fengyu, Party Secretary and Mayor, set out in detail Bozhou's strategy to build the "World Capital of Traditional Chinese Medicine". She noted that traditional Chinese medicine and the wider health industry are Bozhou's leading sector, with a complete chain spanning cultivation, manufacturing, trade and research, and that the city is working at full stretch to become the world's TCM capital. She hoped to strengthen cooperation with the China Association of Pharmaceutical Commerce and its member enterprises for mutual benefit.

Liu Zhongliang, Executive President of the China Association of Pharmaceutical Commerce, attended the symposium with 22 member enterprises, including:

Gao Yuankun, Chairman and President of Linuo Group; Wang Jinyuan, pharmaceutical industry chain adviser at China Resources Sanjiu; Liu Guangyuan, Vice President of Dong-E E-Jiao; Zhang Baoxian, Chairman of Beijing Yingkerui; Tang Xianmin, Chairman of Zhongkangfu Guoyao; Sunny Sun, Executive President of the Oceania Business Council; Chen Weirong, Chairman of Shanghai Kangqiao Chinese Medicine; Ding Guozhong, Chairman of Zhejiang Mintai Pharmaceutical; Wang Banglian, President of Beijing Dongcheng Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine; Li Kaiyin, Chairman of the Chinese medicinal materials company of Gansu Pharmaceutical Group; Lin Chenghong, Vice Chairman of Hunan Huairen Health; Cai Yongchao, Chairman of Zhejiang Houda Intelligent; Liu Zhaohui, General Manager of Hengxiutang Pharmaceutical; Qi Kunyan, Chairman of Hubei Li Shizhen Pharmaceutical; Liu Yang, Chairman of Zhejiang Weikang Pharmaceutical; Zhang Li, Chairman of Fuyuantang (Hubei) Pharmaceutical; and Ningxia Hexi Nüzi Brand Company, among the heads of 22 member enterprises of the association, who discussed deepening cooperation in traditional Chinese medicine and the health industry.

Liu Zhongliang outlined the association's development, and the enterprise representatives introduced their companies and investment intentions. They said Bozhou has a sound industrial base and an excellent business environment, and that they would draw on their strengths in pharmaceutical distribution, production and R&D and retail networks to pursue deeper cooperation and support the high-quality development of Bozhou's TCM and health industry. In October this year the association will hold a TCM and health industry expo in Melbourne, Australia, and hopes to help Bozhou's TCM and health industry reach the world.

Executive President Sunny Sun highlighted the Council's achievements over nine years in promoting international cooperation in the health industry and presented the World Traditional Medicine Forum and the Australia–China Health Industry Expo to be held in Melbourne in October this year, which drew an enthusiastic response from the enterprises present.

Productive Site Visits

Accompanied by Mayor Qin, the delegation visited:

• the Bozhou Chinese Medicinal Materials Trading Center, the world's largest specialist market for Chinese medicinal materials (annual turnover above RMB 50 billion, real-time price updates, and more than 90 per cent of China's medicinal material varieties)
• the Bozhou Life Pavilion (experiencing the Hua Tuo Jiaji acupoint technique, an intangible cultural heritage)
• the TCM culture experience zone (tasting innovative herbal health drinks)
• the tissue culture centre of Bozhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Group
• the Gujing Gong liquor production base

Fruitful Industry Matching

Mayor Qin attached great importance to the cooperation and specially arranged for the delegation to extend its stay by a day, during which the Bozhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce and the Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine organised dedicated matching talks between the Council and enterprises in key fields including TCM products, prepared herbal slices, food-and-medicine homologous products and health foods.

Outlook

The visit built an important bridge for Bozhou's TCM products to enter the Australian market. The Council will continue to:

• organise Bozhou enterprises to attend the Melbourne health industry expo and help set up a Bozhou city pavilion
• promote cooperation on standardisation and international certification of Chinese medicinal materials
• establish a regular trade matching mechanism

Vice Mayor Xue Bing, Secretary-General of the municipal government Yan Wenzhao, Director of the Bureau of Commerce Ma Li and Director of the Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Zhang Jianying also attended the meeting.

The Council Takes Part in "International Buyers in Huzhou", Building a New Bridge for Australia–China Trade

On 19 June 2025, the Oceania Business Council delegation was invited to the "International Buyers in Huzhou" trade promotion event in Huzhou, Zhejiang. Hosted by the Foreign Trade Development Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce, the event attracted international buyers from more than twenty countries and regions.

At the welcome dinner, the Council's representatives held in-depth exchanges with Wang Yuchen, a division director of the Ministry of Commerce's Foreign Trade Development Bureau, Jin Kai, Vice Mayor of Huzhou, and other leaders. At the opening ceremony the following day, the delegation heard presentations on the locational advantages of Huzhou's "369 transport circle" and its green intelligent manufacturing industry.

During the event the Council signed a friendly cooperation agreement with the Huzhou Council for the Promotion of International Trade, under which the two sides will:

• establish a regular exchange mechanism
• promote reciprocal business visits and matching
• share economic and trade information

In the matching session the Council focused on talks with Huzhou's health product, drone and e-commerce enterprises, reaching a number of preliminary cooperation intentions. Notably, several Huzhou enterprises said they would attend the Australia–China Health Industry Expo the Council is holding in Melbourne this year.

The Huzhou visit was highly rewarding, and the Council will continue to act as a bridge by:

• helping quality Huzhou products enter the Australian market
• helping member enterprises connect with Yangtze River Delta supply chains
• deepening practical cooperation with CCPIT Huzhou
• preparing a Huzhou section at the Melbourne expo in October

The Council's Zhejiang Tour: Agreement Signed with CCPIT Jiaxing to Promote Australia–Jiaxing Cooperation

On the afternoon of 19 June 2024, the Oceania Business Council delegation led by President Sunny Sun attended the "Overseas Chinese Helping Development, Empowering Both Sides" Jiaxing exchange and matching meeting of the Council's Zhejiang tour at Jiaxing Science and Technology City. The event was co-hosted by the Qiaohai Zhigong Station (provincial) and the Qiaohai Zhigong Station (Jiaxing) together with the Jiaxing Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

Pan Guoshuai, President of CCPIT Jiaxing, warmly welcomed the delegation. He highlighted the solid foundation of economic and trade cooperation between Jiaxing and Australia, the city's strategic location in the Yangtze River Delta, its nationally leading foreign trade performance and its two decades of success in attracting investment projects from Fortune Global 500 companies. Jiaxing, he said, will keep deepening integrated online and offline cooperation, improve two-way investment mechanisms and collaborative innovation, and offer broad opportunities to international partners including Australia.

President Sunny Sun presented the Australia–China Health Industry Expo, the World Conference on Traditional Chinese Medicine Trade in Services and the 7th World Traditional Medicine Forum, which the Council will hold in Melbourne, and cordially invited enterprises from Jiaxing and Zhejiang to exhibit in Australia, meet China's large buying delegation (including representatives of pharmacy chains accounting for 80 per cent of China's pharmaceutical sales), open up the Australian market and build deep cooperation.

Witnessed by Wu Yun, head of the Qiaohai Zhigong Station (provincial), Zhong Meipeng, head of the Qiaohai Zhigong Station (Jiaxing), and other leaders, the core outcome of the event was the formal signing of a cooperation agreement between CCPIT Jiaxing and the Oceania Business Council, establishing an institutional platform for cooperation and taking economic, trade and investment exchanges between Jiaxing and Australia (Oceania) to a new stage.

Before the meeting the delegation also visited Hengjing Hechuang Biomedicine (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd to learn about Jiaxing's innovative strength and potential in biomedicine. The fruitful Jiaxing visit made a good start to the subsequent Zhejiang tour and further consolidated the Council's role as a bridge between the Australian and Chinese business communities.

Deepening Oceania Cooperation, Empowering Wuzhong's Development: The Oceania Business Council's Visit to Suzhou's Wuzhong District Concludes Successfully

Strategic Agreement Signed and Industrial Park to Be Co-Built: A New Blueprint for Multi-Dimensional Cooperation

(Wuzhong, Suzhou, 20 June 2025) Sunny Sun, Executive President of the Oceania Business Council (CEO of Australia New Zealand Health Industry Group), and Secretary-General Frank Perre (Chairman of Neptune Global Exports Pty Ltd) led a return visit to Suzhou's Wuzhong District. Through three components, a city tour, a strategic signing and industry matching, the visit deepened the economic complementarity between the countries of Oceania (centred on Australia and New Zealand) and Wuzhong. Ding Lixin, Vice Chairman of the Suzhou Municipal Committee of the CPPCC and Secretary of the Wuzhong District Party Committee, took part throughout.

1. Opening at the City Pavilion: Understanding Wuzhong

The delegation's first stop was the Wuzhong Exhibition Centre, for a systematic introduction to the district's history and culture, industrial layout and development vision, laying a shared understanding for later cooperation.

2. Strategic Signing and Co-Building an Industrial Park

High-level talks:

• Secretary Ding Lixin warmly welcomed the delegation and proposed jointly building an "Oceania Industrial Park". He noted that Suzhou has frequent economic and trade exchanges and broad scope for cooperation with Australia, New Zealand and other Oceania countries and regions, and looked forward to a closer mechanism for exchanges and reciprocal visits.

President Sunny Sun responded positively, recalling the friendship established when Secretary Ding led a study visit to Australia in March this year, and undertook to mobilise Oceania business resources to bring the park into real operation. Preliminary planning directions:

• Industry focus: attracting Australian and New Zealand health products, food processing, biomedical R&D, high-end manufacturing, education and professional consulting enterprises;
• Two-way empowerment: the park hosts Oceania enterprises setting up in China and gives Yangtze River Delta enterprises one-stop services for going global (policy advice, resource matching, cross-border operations);
• Policy support: Wuzhong District provides dedicated support in land, premises, tax and talent.

Secretary-General Frank Perre spoke highly of Wuzhong's environment and modern industrial system, especially its technological strength in manufacturing, health and agriculture, and undertook to actively promote trade between the two sides.

Signing ceremony:

The two sides signed a strategic agreement setting out the goals of two-way co-development and the path to implementing the industrial park.

3. Industry Matching for Delivery, Cooperation at the Zero-Carbon Park

That afternoon the delegation held an industry matching meeting at the Xuantong Zero-Carbon Park. Xue Jun, Vice President of the Wuzhong Pharmaceutical Chamber of Commerce (Chairman of Jiangsu Xuantong Supply Chain Co., Ltd), chaired the session, which brought together biomedical enterprise representatives to focus on the business environment, legal and tax policy in Oceania and taking brands overseas, injecting new momentum into deeper cooperation between enterprises on both sides.

4. Health and Aged Care: Smart Scenarios Attract Cooperation

Visit to the Hengersida Health and Aged Care Centre under Hengsheng Machinery, a vice-president member of the Wuzhong District Pharmaceutical Chamber of Commerce: at its final stop the delegation learned at first hand about Wuzhong's approach to health and aged care and its service model, experienced the potential of smart home technology, and opened new space for cooperation in aged care services and health management.

The Wuzhong visit consolidated the foundations of cooperation through the strategic signing, mapped out a development blueprint through the co-built industrial park, and identified practical starting points through industry matching and the health and aged care visit. With the Council's professional services and ever-smoother cross-border channels, the deep industrial integration and innovative cooperation between Wuzhong and Oceania will surely write a new chapter of mutual benefit.

The event was strongly supported by the Suzhou Wuzhong District Pharmaceutical Industry Chamber of Commerce and the Suzhou Wuzhong District Biomedicine and Health Industry Alliance Association. Taking the meeting as an opportunity, Wuzhong District and the Oceania region will further strengthen cooperation and jointly advance the health industry, supply chains and other fields for mutual benefit.

The Suzhou Wuzhong District Pharmaceutical Chamber of Commerce was represented by Vice President Xue Jun (Chairman of Jiangsu Xuantong Supply Chain Co., Ltd), Vice President and Secretary-General Shen Jianwei and others.

Members of the Oceania Business Council delegation, Deputy District Head Li Ye, Office Director Xu Dan, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Commerce Zhou Lu, Deputy Director of the Investment Centre Yan Yaozong and heads of relevant district departments took part in the activities.