Andrew Robb, former Australian trade minister turned consultant to Chinese billionaire, has bought a Cremorne Point house for almost $4 million.

The purchase, in wife Maureen Robb’s name, is expected to be a permanent base for the couple, replacing their former Melbourne home in Brighton they sold a year ago for $2,655,000 in his former Goldstein electorate.

Robb retired as a Liberal minister in 2016 and walked straight into an $880,000-a-year job with businessman Ye Cheng, who is a member of President Xi Jinping’s advisory body Chinese People’s Consultative Committee.

Mr Ye also owns Landbridge, which made headlines in 2015 when it controversially acquired the 99-year lease for the Port of Darwin, prompting former US president Barack Obama to complain because he wasn’t forewarned.

Records show the four-bedroom house was designed by architect Rolf Haefeli about 20 years ago when bought by James Cantor, who listed it earlier this year with McGrath’s Piers van Hamburg who had a $3.5 million guide on it before it sold for $3,985,000.

The two-storey house is set on 424 square metres and includes separate living areas, a large study, spa and double garage.

The Robb purchase follows their $3​,735,000 purchase of a clifftop house at Palm Beach a year ago, set across the road from the house recently sold by their daughter, restaurateur Pip Goldsmith for $3.85 million.

Goldsmith and her husband Andrew are looking to trade to a larger home in the rich-listers playground.