Spring in Sydney: Reflections from the AFR Asia Summit 2025
There’s something about Sydney that always energises me. Its vibrance, diversity, and rhythm are unmatched in other Australia cities. I arrived on a beautiful early spring day, ready to attend the Australian Financial Review Asia Summit 2025 (9 September 2025), hosted at the iconic Fullerton Hotel Sydney.
Having attended the inaugural Summit in Melbourne last year, I was curious: What new insights would this year’s gathering bring?
The ballroom was beautifully arranged, with a central stage that invited attention and dialogue. The format mirrored last year’s: two keynote speeches, followed by conversations with senior AFR journalists, and a mix of individual interviews and panel discussions.
This year’s keynote speakers were the Hon. Don Farrell, Minister for Trade and Tourism of Australia and Madam Fu Ying, former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. The speaker lineup was impressive, featuring leaders from diverse sectors, finance/investment, manufacturing, technology and more, all deeply engaged with Asia in their respective roles.
While the topics varied, several themes emerged consistently. Geopolitical tensions are rising. Asia is not a monolith, doing business in Asia is increasingly complex. Yet, the opportunities in Asia are too significant to ignore. Terms like diversification, resilience, and productivity echoed across panels.
The overarching message? Asia remains the world’s growth engine. But the environment is tough, and Australia still isn’t doing enough. Didn’t we say something similar last year? “Pace” and “Speed” were also mentioned by several speakers. Will Australia miss the boat if we are slow in action?
It also made me wonder: Are we just talking the talk? When will we start walking the talk?
The Summit was well-organised, and the speakers shared genuinely insightful perspectives. But one thing felt missing—an action plan.
Imagine ending the day with a collaborative session where participants in groups representing government, industry, and academia, contribute bold ideas and draft a blueprint for action. With the help of AI and virtual collaboration tools, we could make it happen. That would be powerful!
Inspired by the insights and knowledge shared at the Summit, many of us likely left with our own plans. I know I did.
As Deputy Director of the Griffith Asia Institute, I’m reminded of the critical role we play. Several panellists raised concerns about the the shortage of Asia-savvy board members and the declining interests in Asian language among young Australia. Yet, research and education were barely mentioned throughout the day.
Let’s not forget higher education is one of Australia’s top exporting industries and Asia is our largest source of foreign students. The European Union recently launched an initiative establishing European Universities alliances, aiming to foster long-term structural, sustainable and systematic cooperation in education, research and innovation. I still remember attending education fairs in Hong Kong alone, while my British counterparts arrived in busloads. Australia is a large country in size, but we are small in population. Collaboration is key when engaging with Asia.
As a university affiliated research centre, we have a responsibility to push research frontiers and educate the next generation, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to engage meaningfully with Asia. These are missions I’m proud to be part of and also deeply committed to advancing.
Associate Professor Gloria Ge is the Deputy Director of the Griffith Asia Institute.