Chinese and Australian national flags are seen at an event in Sydney, Australia, September 8, 2019. Photo:Xinhua

It is unlikely to affect China-Australia trade if the Australian government freezes financial support for China Matters, an Australia-based think tank that believes China is important for Australia's future, but the Australian government should listen to different voices from different sectors, Chinese experts said Tuesday.

"Freezing funding for the think tank is unlikely to have an impact on China-Australia trade and the country's economy," Yu Lei, chief researcher at the Research Center for Pacific Island Countries with Liaocheng University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

"But, after so many years of high-speed trade growth, the Australian government should have learned that China and Australia are complementary in terms of trade, and should listen to their people and enterprises' real concerns," Yu said.

According to Australian newspaper The Daily Telegraph, some departments under the Australian federal government will freeze financial support for China Matters starting on June 30 due to concerns that the think tank has violated Austria's national interests.

The organization has received nearly A$2 million from the federal government since 2015 but the think tank has conducted lobbying that undermines Australia's national interests, according to the media report.

In response to The Daily Telegraph's report, China Matters said in a public letter that "China Matters does not, has not, and will not lobby against Australia or the Australian national interest."

"Department heads and other senior public servants have welcomed the diversity of views China Matters brings to its national meetings and briefings, and commended China Matters for including in these meetings representatives of all political parties and factions," read the public letter.

"Considering China Matters' stance on China in the past, its view on China is not out of a pro-Beijing stance but represents Australian enterprises' real interests," Yu noted. 

According to media reports, China Matters also has other sponsors, including Australian mining giant Rio Tinto, which does a lot of business with China, and Star Entertainment Group, which benefits from Chinese tourists every year.

"Rio Tinto has huge interests in the Chinese market as 60-75 percent of its iron ore is exported to China every year, and it is the largest sponsor of China Matters, so to some degree the think tank's voice represents Rio Tinto's real interests," Yu said, adding that Rio Tinto knows that sound China-Australia relations matter when doing business with China.

"So the Australian government should listen to its own enterprises' voices and look to their real concerns instead of only focusing on political interests when dealing with China," Yu said.