2025 Australia-China Local Government Exchange

The Australia-China Local Government Exchange is a capability building program supported by the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations (NFACR).

This program is a unique opportunity for Australian local government professionals to build their knowledge and capability for effective city diplomacy and beneficial partnerships with China, in support of Australia’s national interests.

In 2025, the Australia-China Local Government Exchange provided 10 local government professionals from five Australia states skills and knowledge to enhance risk-informed engagement with Chinese entities.

Meet the 2025 cohort

The participants built their knowledge of China’s society, politics, history, economy, culture and modern challenges and enhanced their capabilities to engage internationally through a deeper understanding of city diplomacy practices, Australia’s policy and regulation for international engagement and the fundamentals of diplomatic engagement in China.

Major activities included:

• A two-day specialist in-person workshop at the University of Melbourne focused on deepening understanding of China and the bilateral relationship from a local government perspective
• Online training sessions to build expertise in conducting effective city diplomacy, understanding the fundamentals of diplomatic protocol in engagements with China, understanding the bilateral business environment and preparing for the China visit
• A delegation visit to Hong Kong and Guangzhou to meet with experts and network with Chinese peers

Across the program, participants met with key Australian and international experts and government peers including:

• The Australian Consuls-General in Hong Kong and Guangzhou
• Senior Australian diplomats
• Representatives from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government
• Representatives from the Guangzhou Municipal Government
• Bilateral business experts
• Experts from University of Melbourne
• Experts from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Through their participation, the ten Australian local government officials strengthened their knowledge and capabilities in key strategic areas, including understanding contemporary China and the Australia–China bilateral relationship, making effective use of city diplomacy, managing cooperation in a risk-informed way, and understanding Australian policy and legislation related to city diplomacy.

These outcomes are significant not only for the participants themselves, but also for their local councils and cities, as they will bring this expertise back to their communities to identify new opportunities, attract investment and support local economic development.

The Melbourne Centre for Cities will conduct two further cohorts of the Australia-China Local Government Exchange in 2026 and 2027.