Australia Week - Australia's largest ever trade mission

I am delighted to announce Australia Week in China will be Australia's largest ever trade mission.

More than 1000 Australian business leaders, mostly from small and medium enterprises, will make up the record delegation.

The size of the delegation demonstrates the business community's strong enthusiasm for engagement with China and underscores the powerful effect of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) concluded by the Coalition Government.

To be held from April 11 to 15, Australia Week in China (AWIC) will explore new opportunities for business arising from improved access and the tariff reductions negotiated through the ChAFTA.

AWIC 2016 will deliver more than 150 events across 10 cities including Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Shenyang and Hangzhou and Shanghai.

Activity is scheduled across eight business streams: agribusiness, financial services, health and aged care, innovation, education, urban sustainability and water management, premium food and beverage and tourism.

An exciting element of AWIC will be our first ever innovation-focused program, which will bring together Australia's and China's fast-developing innovation ecosystems for the first time.

The program also includes a series of events promoting Australia as a premium investment, education and tourism destination, including the Chinese launch of Tourism Australia's coastal and aquatic campaign.

AWIC 2016 follows the hugely successful 2014 event. This first mission translated into significant trade and investment outcomes for Australia - around $1 billion in export sales were generated and more than $3 billion in investment followed the event.

We anticipate that the breadth and scale of AWIC 2016 will generate similar outcomes and be the catalyst for significant export sales and investments into Australia, further driving jobs and growth.