Chinese buyers of Australian real estate and commodity companies have lost about 30 per cent – more than $12 billion – off their local investments in the last three years.

Chinese citizens invested slightly more than $40 billion in 2012 and 2013, purchases and partnerships tracked through the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) show.

Chinese investors have contributed $92.6 billion to the national economy in the last three years through investment and migration, statistics show. Credit:James Alcock

However, the falling Australian dollar, which has shed 34 per cent since the end of 2012 by falling to about $US70¢ from $US1.04, has carved 30 per cent off these investments as it has fallen against the yuan, which is pegged to the US dollar.

The Chinese yuan is traded, but controlled by Beijing, which sets the middle point of its trading range each day. It fell by slightly more than 3 per cent in early August after its midpoint was lowered.