With the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) now a decade in operation, this analysis provides an Australian assessment of core outcomes against a backdrop of claims by advocates and critics of the deal. It finds a decade on that Australian public support for ChAFTA remains strong.

Key takeaways

• When the ChAFTA was signed in June 2015, the Australian government and business groups lauded its trade and prosperity-creating potential. However, the trade union movement criticised the deal and others asserted it advanced the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) strategic interests at Australia’s expense.
• In the decade since its enactment, Australia’s trade with the PRC grew from $144.8 billion to $325.5 billion, a 125% increase. This compared with 76% percent with the rest of the world.
• There has been no compelling evidence presented that links unsafe workplace practices in Australia to ChAFTA’s provisions.
• Policies pursued by Canberra since 2015, under both Coalition and Labor governments, suggest that Australia’s strategic decision-making has not been compromised, despite a large and growing trade exposure to the PRC.