A $50,000 donation was made to the WA Liberal Party by an elderly Chinese industrialist just days before one of his Australian business associates was appointed to a powerful diplomatic advisory board by former foreign minister Julie Bishop.

Ms Bishop, who said on Thursday she would not contest the next election, announced the appointment of Sydney businesswoman Margaret Jack to the board of the Australia-China Council on December 12, 2016, after Hong Kong-based manufacturing mogul Sun Kin Chao deposited the cash into Liberal coffers on December 9.

Former foreign minister Julie Bishop attends an Australia China Business Council (ACBC) networking event in 2018. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Ms Jack is a director and shareholder of the Australian branch of Hong Kong-headquartered manufacturing multinational Kinox Enterprises, which was founded by the 99-year-old industrialist in the 1940s.

Ms Jack and Kinox Enterprises are also significant donors to the NSW Liberal Party and the Nationals. Companies controlled by Ms Jack and the Sun family have donated $127,000 to the parties over the past decade in addition to the $50,000 WA donation.