Australia has been urged to engage in more "life-changing" research projects with China.
Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson told an international education conference in Beijing there were many opportunities ahead for the tertiary sectors of the two nations.
"Australian and Chinese researchers are working together right now to manage hearing loss in babies," she said.
"And to identify and analyse infectious disease transmission. These are life-changing projects."
Ms Jackson said health, security, digitalisation, clean energy and productivity were some of the areas in which universities could work internationally to find solutions.
Australian universities educate about 1.5 million students a year, with 150,000 coming from China.
"The more we do together, the better for us all," Ms Jackson said.
"We must work together, as nations, and, more importantly, as peers, to continue to invest in our knowledge assets, our people."
Education is expected to be on the agenda when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits Beijing in November for talks with President Xi Jinping.
