Chinese buyer enquiries for Australian homes fell to their lowest in almost three years in May, according to data from international property portal Juwai IQI, reports Propertynoise (19 June 2020). The diplomatic spat between the two countries could be to blame for the slump in enquiries which had actually surged when Australia emerged from the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. May's slide coincided with a move by Canberra to push for an investigation into the origins of the novel coronavirus, drawing a sharp rebuke from Beijing and threats of economic reprisals. Mainland China investors poured AUD6.1 billion into the real estate sector in the last financial year alone. "If the situation doesn't escalate further things will stabilise," Juwai IQI executive chairman Georg Chmiel said, "So long as it isn't prolonged, as long as it isn't systemic."