MELBOURNE, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Premier of Australia's Victoria state, Daniel Andrews, said his second official trip to China will focus on promoting Victoria as a top destination for foreign business.
Andrews, leader of the Victorian division of the Labor Party, departed for a seven-day official visit to China on Tuesday, his second trip to the country since becoming Premier in 2014.
Andrews said the focus of his trip would be selling Victoria as a top destination for international students, tourism, business and investment opportunities from China.
"It's vital we keep our relationships with China strong -- they're among our top trading partners and their investments in Victoria are good for our economy and great for jobs," Andrews said in a media release on Tuesday.
"Victoria is the state of momentum -- we're creating thousands of jobs, building infrastructure for the future and our economy is the fastest growing in the nation -- this is a great time to be promoting Victoria as the place to do business."
Andrews will visit senior government officials and business leaders in Beijing, Nanjing and Chengdu.
During his first official visit in 2015, Andrews announced the state's updated China Strategy, negotiated export and business opportunities and announced new health, research and cultural partnerships.
China accounts for almost a quarter of all Victoria's food and fiber export market, mainly consisting of beef, dairy and wool, and is worth more than 15 billion U.S. dollars for the state every year in two-way trade.
Andrews is expected to announce a performing arts coup for Victoria and new initiatives involving the state's iconic sporting events, such as cheaper tickets, to make the state more attractive destination for Chinese students.
Almost 46,000 Chinese students commenced studies in Australia in the first quarter of 2016 alone, representing a 36 percent increase on the same time period in 2015.
