Chinese buyer enquiries for Australian homes suffered a huge decline in May, according to independent data by property portal Juwai IQI, stated an article by Queensland Property Investor (22 June 2020). Mainland China has been a major source of foreign real estate investment, contributing AUD 6.1 billion to the sector in the last financial year alone. The slump in enquiries can be attributed to Canberra's push for an investigation into the origins of the novel coronavirus which was first detected in China, a motion rejected by Beijing which retaliated with economic reprisals. "If the situation doesn't escalate further things will stabilise," said Juwai IQI executive chairman Georg Chmiel. Economists generally expect the diplomatic tensions to be resolved without hurting Australia's economy too much though this incident is an added risk to an already uncertain outlook.