On Friday, Beattie held a meeting with Chinese vice chairman of the National Development & Reform Commission, Jiang Weixin, as part of his ten-day trip, which includes Hong Kong, Beijing, Tokyo, Dubai, Zurich, and London.

FTA negotiations are still at a preliminary stage, with the second round of talks having taken place in August and the next discussions expected in late-October.

The FTA is expected to cover mining, agriculture and services including tourism and education. Also under discussion will be intellectual property rights, competition policy and dispute settlement.

Beattie hopes the FTA will result in “substantial gains for Queensland from the removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers”