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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-05-16 Daily Xml
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Ministerial Statement

China Trade and AFL Mission

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:02): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I have just returned from my sixth visit to our Chinese sister state, Shandong Province, leading a trade mission to South Australia's largest export market. It was an important time to visit Jinan, Shandong's capital, to establish a relationship with the new political leaders, who were appointed in March. This mission, led by myself and the Minister for Investment and Trade, was designed to build on our existing 31-year relationship and seek new opportunities to boost exports and create jobs. The wider delegation covered a much wider footprint in China, also visiting Guangzhou, Qingdao, Yantai, Shanxi, Suzhou, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Last year, South Australia exported $2.2 billion worth of goods to China, but there is room for much more growth. While in Shandong, I met with our trade and investment delegation—182 business delegates, representing 124 businesses and organisations. Among them were many who had attended previous missions. This year, we explored opportunities in 10 well-defined industry sectors: trade, wine, investment, education and training, research and development, water, culture, health and ageing, agribusiness and culture. Each business stream is supported by the state government to assist with program planning, business matching and in-country introductions.

At my meetings with the newly appointed Shandong party secretary and Governor, we discussed their role in the Chinese government's belt and road policy and opportunities to accelerate investment and trade. I can report that the new Shandong leadership is focused, determined and ambitious. The new party secretary and Governor gave their personal commitment to continue to prioritise the South Australian-Shandong relationship as their principal international collaboration, and they will be working to identify strategic joint projects in the coming months.

We are also expecting the second most senior leader of Shandong Province, Governor Gong, to lead a return visit to South Australia in September this year. During this mission, a total of 33 memorandums of understanding were signed or witnessed, and I can report a range of other achievements, specifically:

opening a new and expanded office in Jinan to provide a focal point for South Australia's growing trade relationship with Shandong Province;

announcing a joint laboratory in terrestrial and marine biotechnology products between the Shandong Academy of Sciences and Flinders University;

reaching an agreement between the South Australian and Shandong governments to strengthen the delivery of vocational education and training within the province;

formalising a range of collaborations between the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute and the University of South Australia with Chinese company TusHoldings and Tsinghua University. These are designed to attract investment in innovation, biomedical and health industries in high-tech sectors;

establishing two new subcommittees for our High-Level Working Group: environmental protection and science and technology;

hosting our South Australia Club luncheon in Shanghai with high net-worth investors to emphasise that we are open to investment and offer a growing number of investment-ready projects; and

holding numerous meetings with individual investors and businesses, details of which are commercial-in-confidence.

A highlight for me was appointing six new student ambassadors from China to come to Adelaide as part of our StudyAdelaide Student Ambassador campaign. This program to raise awareness of our city as a study destination is going from strength to strength. This year's campaign achieved more than 150 million viewerships and attracted an amazing 7,400 applications, well over three times more than the previous year. Our education strategy is working. Last year, we had more than 14,000 international Chinese students come to South Australia, an increase of 10.9 per cent on the previous year.

Of course, the other focus of the visit was the historic first AFL match in Shanghai. What the Port Adelaide Football Club has achieved by organising this game in Shanghai cannot be overstated. One of the biggest challenges for South Australian companies doing business in China can be a lack of awareness of Adelaide or South Australia when compared with the better known cities of Melbourne and Sydney.

The football game helped to significantly raise our profile in this most important of Chinese cities. The thousands of Port Adelaide fans in Shanghai, together with strong South Australian brand messaging during the game, put South Australia in the spotlight, with the game covered by local and international media and broadcast live on Chinese TV.

The Port Adelaide Football Club signed two significant deals while in Shanghai, one a major sponsorship deal with MJK and the other an MOU with the University of South Australia and two sports science institutions in China. This strategic collaboration will open up opportunities to develop world-leading sports science research for all parties through teaching, education and placement opportunities.

At the game, all levels of Chinese government were represented, along with organisers of many sports seeking to understand how to run commercial sporting events. I met with the Assistant Minister for Sport for the whole of China, as well as the Vice Mayor of Shanghai. These meetings reinforced our commitment to sports diplomacy as a valuable way to build cross-cultural understanding and broaden our connections with China.

The local mayor of the Yangpu region in which the stadium was located will visit Adelaide next month with a delegation to learn more about sports-related commercial services with Adelaide Oval authorities. This China mission has exceeded all expectations and I congratulate everyone involved.

The SPEAKER: That was a remarkably unprovocative ministerial statement, yet the following people are called to order for interjecting during it: the members for Hammond, Morialta, Mount Gambier and Finniss and the leader and deputy leader.

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