Because when it comes to doing business in China, Australia's largest trading partner and the second largest economy in the world, it's less about sales meetings, contracts and "applying pressure" and more about cultural understanding and first-class relationships.

And the natural relationship builders of the world are women.

So says Pan White, chief executive of the Canberra-based China Australia Trade and Investment Council, who led a delegation of 21 senior women to Beijing and Shenzhen last October. The trip placed the women - including six from Canberra - in the same rooms as some of China's most high-profile business and organisational heads.

"I believe that, as women, we're better listeners and better at bringing home knowledge and sharing it to a wider community," Ms White said.

"Women approach business from a really different angle and ask questions like: 'What are the Chinese like? Why do they do things the way they do?'

"In China, unless you build that trust in a relationship, nothing will go further.

"The Chinese love the opportunity their country presents for Australians but most of us have never even been to China.

"We always think, 'Oh that's the country we've got to conquer', but if you try to export your products to any other country you have to go to the market, talk to people all through the market, and understand the culture to be able to better sell your product into the market."

Women on last year's trade mission were invited behind the scenes of electric car companies NIO and BYD (Shenzhen), the University of International Business and Economics and telecommunications giant Huawei (Shenzhen).

But the trip also took in a range of cultural experiences, including Beijing's Temple of Heaven, the Lao She Teahouse and the Great Wall. Lunch with a group of Chinese millennials was another highlight.

"The delegates were able to ask a lot of very high-level questions like: 'What does Huawei's future workforce look like? How is Huawei innovating across the entire organisation?'," Ms White said.

"We went to the Little Village Montessori [School] to see first-hand the trends in childcare in China, and how the country is looking to shape the future for the Chinese in terms of education.

"At Luohu Hospital, they're using apps to deliver medicine and facial recognition technology to help keep track of patients who may wander.

"It was a rare and fascinating exploration of innovation and culture."

Canberra businesswoman Llewella Jago, owner of marketing agency Rowdy, said there was so much to be learnt from the Chinese business approach.

"The Chinese are very self-sufficient, which really complements the innovation age," Ms Jago said.

"Innovation hubs are planned for new developments in Shenzhen as standard business practice. Australia could definitely learn to support innovation communities better and integrate innovation spaces into every day life."

She said long-term planning was also an area in which Australia could learn from the Chinese, especially when it came to national infrastructure projects.

"They develop five-, 10- and even 20-year strategic plans as standard practice. It's intriguing just how much they are planning for future China - we just don't do that enough here," Ms Jago said.

Even in the day-to-day running of Rowdy, Ms Jago is now looking to the Chinese.

"In China, there's a real art to meetings," she said.

"Meetings are formal, considered and very important business tools.

"I've come home and reflected on how I use meetings - I've changed my approach and become a lot more mindful and deliberate about how I run them."

The China Australia Trade and Investment Council is a not-for-profit organisation facilitating business opportunities between Australia and China through delegations, events and support services.

The next all-female delegation to China will take place in September 2019. For further information head to catic.org.au