A study has revealed the scale of China's lending for projects and activities in Australia, with money poured into everything from roads to supermarkets, wind farms and breweries — but mostly mining projects.

The Chasing China study, published this week by AidData, a research lab at US university William & Mary, tracked $US2.2 trillion ($3.41 trillion) worth of loans and grants across 200 countries from 2000 to 2023.

It found Australia received $US130 billion ($200 billion) during that period — the third-most of any country behind the United States and Russia.

Among the about 1,350 entries in the lab's database are loans to Australian companies such as Qantas, Woolworths and Fosters Group, as well as companies based in China and other countries with interests here.

Brooke Escobar, asso

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