Penny Wong visits Chinatown as MCBA builds links between government, business and community

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has paid a visit to Melbourne’s Chinatown for a community and industry breakfast dialogue, with the event highlighting the growing role the precinct and its business leaders are playing in broader conversations about multiculturalism, trade, education and civic life.

Hosted by the Melbourne Chinatown Business Association (MCBA), the breakfast came shortly after Senator Wong’s recent visit to China and meetings with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

According to MCBA president Christina Zhao, the event brought together a mix of political, business and community leaders to discuss the role multicultural communities continue to play in shaping modern Australia.

Those attending included Lord Mayor Nick Reece, Melbourne Federal MP Sarah Witty, and representatives from the education, technology, hospitality, cultural and community sectors.

Zhao said the discussion focused on issues ranging from small business and international education to innovation, cultural exchange and Australia-Asia engagement.

The visit also provided an opportunity for MCBA to highlight the economic and cultural contribution of Melbourne’s Chinatown, including the precinct’s Chinese Lunar New Year Festival, which this year drew more than 200,000 attendees in a single day.

That scale underlines Chinatown’s importance not just as a tourist or dining destination, but as one of the city’s most visible and successful expressions of multicultural Melbourne.

MCBA also used the occasion to introduce its recently launched Chinatown Connect platform, supported by the Victorian Government through Business Victoria. The initiative is designed to showcase and support businesses across Melbourne while strengthening links between community, culture and commerce.

For Zhao, that reflects a broader ambition for the association.

“Melbourne Chinatown has always been more than a cultural destination,” she said. “It represents generations of migration, entrepreneurship, resilience and community contribution to the fabric of this city.”

She said MCBA was increasingly focused on strengthening connections between government, business and community, while ensuring multicultural voices were more meaningfully represented in wider discussions about Melbourne’s future.

That speaks to a broader shift in the way business associations such as MCBA are positioning themselves.

Rather than acting only as networking or advocacy bodies, groups like MCBA are increasingly serving as conveners, bringing together different sectors and communities around shared issues and opportunities.

Zhao said that was central to the association’s purpose.

A lot of people see business associations as simply a place for networking, resource sharing or commercial opportunities, she said. But for me, and for what we are building at MCBA, I’ve always believed the real value comes from genuinely bringing people together.

“Whether it’s government, business or community leaders, what matters most is creating real relationships built on trust, understanding and long-term connection, not just transactional partnerships.” •