On 1 May 2026 the Oceania Business Council held its 2026 Annual General Meeting at the World Trade Centre Melbourne with more than one hundred guests from Australia and China. President Hon. Bruce Atkinson AM opened the meeting, Executive President Sunny Sun delivered the annual report, six new committees were inaugurated, and the new secretariat was announced.
On Friday 1 May, Melbourne was brimming with vitality in the late-spring season. At the landmark World Trade Centre Melbourne (WTC), a gathering of political and business leaders took place as scheduled: the Oceania Business Council (OBC) of Australia held its 2026 Annual General Meeting there in grand style. Under the theme "Building on the Past, Bursting with Vitality", the meeting was not only a comprehensive review of the outstanding achievements of the past year, but also an in-depth blueprint for future strategic transformation and global expansion.
The venue was filled with distinguished guests. More than one hundred political figures, entrepreneurs, industry leaders and prominent members of the community from China and Australia attended. VIP guests including Cr Gladys Liu, Mr. Simon Qian OAM, Mr. Arthur Wu, Mr. Bill Long, Mr. Nick Yan, Mr. Jerry Zhu, Hon. Ken Smith AM and Hon. Bruce Atkinson AM jointly witnessed this milestone moment as the Oceania Business Council transformed from a traditional business association into an "international resource integration platform".
A Commanding Vision: The Core Leadership Takes the Stage and the Organisation Is Restructured
At the opening of the meeting, Hon. Bruce Atkinson AM, President of the Oceania Business Council and former President of the Legislative Council of Victoria, delivered a warm opening address. He spoke highly of the Council's efforts over the past year in cross-cultural communication and in building bridges for economic and trade cooperation, and expressed high expectations for the strategic plan for the year ahead.
Hon. Ken Smith AM, Honorary Chairman and Founding President of the Oceania Business Council, then took the stage. As the founder of the Council, Mr. Smith looked back with deep feeling on the original aspirations behind its establishment and expressed his satisfaction with the systematic results achieved to date. A solemn certificate presentation ceremony was held at the meeting: Hon. Ken Smith AM presented Hon. Bruce Atkinson AM with the certificate of "Honorary Chairman of the Board" in recognition of his outstanding leadership in advancing interstate and international affairs; at the same time, Hon. Bruce Atkinson AM presented Hon. Ken Smith AM with a councillor certificate, acknowledging his profound influence on the organisation as its spiritual leader.
Executive President Sunny Sun delivered the annual work report, entitled "Strategic Transformation and Global Connectivity", on behalf of the Board. He systematically reviewed the Council's breakthroughs in organisational development, international cooperation and project implementation, in particular the major initiative of co-founding the "Australian International Entrepreneurship and Innovation Alliance" together with seven institutions, which marked the formal completion of the Council's brand upgrade and strategic reshaping from OBAI to OBC.
Major Announcement: Six Professional Committees Formally Established
To meet increasingly specialised market demands, the meeting reached its core highlight: the inauguration ceremony of six new committees. This marked a new level in the Council's professional service capability:
Education Committee
Secretary-General Yang Li. The committee aims to build an interchange for the exchange of educational resources between China and Australia, and to promote international study, vocational education and academic exchange.
Construction Committee
Secretary-General Bryan Guan; Executive Deputy Secretary-General Steven Yeung. The committee focuses on Australia-China infrastructure cooperation, mutual recognition of green building standards and technology export.
Real Estate Committee
Secretary-General Diana Chen. The committee is dedicated to integrating Australian property development and investment resources, and to providing professional guidance for Chinese capital going overseas in compliance with regulations.
High-Level Talent & Doctoral Innovation Committee
Secretary-General Arina Tang. This is the Council's most technology-intensive segment, aiming to bring together high-level talent and to promote the integrated transformation of research into industry.
Business Services Committee
Secretary-General Albert Zhao. The committee provides enterprises with one-stop solutions covering legal, tax, accounting and market consulting services.
Canberra Branch
Secretary-General Ding Ding. Serving as the Council's antenna into the core circles of the federal government, the branch strengthens policy communication and resource matching in the Australian Capital Territory.
The Secretariat and New Talent
The meeting announced the core members of the new secretariat: Secretary-General Sheryl Leigh, and Deputy Secretaries-General Jing Liu, Maggie Zhang and Jessica Xu. Their arrival injects younger, more professional management talent into the Council.
Presentation of Councillor Certificates
Angela Liu
Georgia Qiao
Bryan Guan
Joanne Chen
Steven Kakoliris
Jing Liu
Sheryl Leigh
Diana Chen
Yang Li
Albert Zhao
- Sunny Sun
- Frank Perre
- Diana Lin
- James Li
- Cr Gladys Liu
- Lisa Li
- Jessica Xu
Presentation of Committee Certificates
Education Committee
Construction Committee
Real Estate Committee
High-Level Talent & Doctoral Innovation Committee
Business Services Committee
Canberra Branch
Presentation of Secretariat Certificates
Secretary-General Sheryl Leigh
Deputy Secretary-General Jing Liu
Deputy Secretary-General Maggie Zhang
- Deputy Secretary-General Jessica Xu
Steady Cultivation: Review of the Year's Achievements and Two-Way Exchange Mechanisms
In the subsequent agenda, Secretary-General Sheryl Leigh elaborated on the Council's annual work plan for 2026. She stressed that the Council will no longer confine itself to simple matchmaking, but will move into "deep-water" operations, building substantive two-way exchange platforms and long-term mechanisms.
Cooperation with China: From "Signing" to "Implementation"
In his report, Executive President Sunny Sun pointed out that over the past year the Council has achieved a systematic framework for cooperation with China. The Council has established in-depth strategic cooperation mechanisms with a number of Chinese provinces and municipalities, including Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Shanghai, Yunnan, Guangdong and Inner Mongolia, and has opened direct channels with local Councils for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), commerce bureaus and industry associations. The focus of cooperation has now moved fully beyond the early stage of signing agreements into a new stage of regular engagement and the advancement of substantive projects.
Flagship Projects: Shining on the International Stage
The meeting highlighted two flagship achievements of the year. First, the Council organised member enterprises to take part in a national pharmaceutical industry expo in China and successfully set up an "Oceania Pavilion" showcasing premium Australian health products, paving the way for the development of the Chinese market. Second, the "Australia-China Health Industry Expo" and the "World Traditional Medicine Forum" were successfully held in Melbourne in October 2025. The event attracted more than 400 Chinese enterprises from around the world as exhibitors and over 150 experts and scholars as participants, greatly enhancing the Council's international reputation and generating a large volume of business matchmaking.
Project Implementation: Building a Core Vehicle for Australia-China Trade
The much-anticipated "Oceania Industrial Park" project in Wuzhong District, Suzhou, was mentioned again at the meeting. The project has reached a consensus on strategic cooperation and is progressing steadily; in the future it will become the physical vehicle and core hub for two-way investment and trade between China and Australia. In addition, in response to the practical needs of enterprises, the Council has built a full-chain service system covering TGA certification, market access, warehousing and logistics, and local promotion, effectively helping member enterprises close the loop on commercial value.
Looking Ahead: Building an International Cooperation Organisation with the Capacity to Deliver
Standing at a new historical starting point, the Council has set out a loftier vision for its future development. In 2026, the Council will continue to uphold its mission of "Connecting Oceania, Serving the World" and will focus on three priorities: first, expanding its "circle of friends" by accelerating the extension of its international cooperation network into the Asia-Pacific and other regions; second, "picking up speed" by pushing key projects such as the Oceania Industrial Park from blueprint to reality; and third, delivering "high value" by relying on the six professional committees to provide members with more targeted and precise services.
The Council is steadily growing into a new type of international organisation "with resources, a platform, projects and the capacity to deliver". As Executive President Sunny Sun put it: "We are not only a chamber of commerce, but an ecosystem."
Acknowledgements and Closing
As the meeting drew to a close, special thanks were extended to Hon. Ken Smith AM for his major contributions to the Council; it was his foresight that laid the cornerstone of the Oceania Business Council. Heartfelt thanks also went to Cr Gladys Liu, Mr. Simon Qian OAM, Mr. Arthur Wu, Mr. Bill Long, Mr. Nick Yan and Mr. Jerry Zhu, as well as to Wu Songda, Chairman of the Hongmen Minzhi Party, Qian Hengyu, President of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, and other leaders from all walks of life for the strong support they have long given to the Council.
Finally, following an engaging presentation by a representative of the World Trade Centre (WTC), the 2026 Annual General Meeting drew to a successful close with a warm and lively business networking reception, amid pleasant music and animated conversation. It was not only an occasion to review the past, but also a new beginning for building consensus and pursuing shared success. The Oceania Business Council is poised and ready to shine even more brightly on the international stage.
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