Victoria’s embattled Opposition leader is skipping the Melbourne Cup this year for a “trade mission” to China to appeal to Chinese voters ahead of next year’s state election.
Liberal leader Brad Battin revealed on Thursday afternoon that he would be in China for eight days from next Friday, meaning he will be absent for The Cup on Tuesday November 4.
Mr Battin made the statement to the Herald Sun after Noticer News shared a video he only posted on Chinese social media platforms where he asked for food recommendations for the cities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou.
Victorian Liberal leader Brad Battin reveals he’s taking a trip to China, and asks for “banquet” recommendations in a video only shared on Chinese social media.
“I. Love. Chinese food” pic.twitter.com/Z9Avlqdm9m
— The Noticer (@NoticerNews) October 23, 2025
He said he would be accompanied by MPs Jess Wilson and Nick McGowan, and that the trip was intended to identify obstacles with public and private investment in the state, and involve trade and business talks.
Despite Victoria facing crime and economic crises, Mr Battin is trailing Premier Jacinta Allan in the polls, with a Redbridge survey last week showing Labor ahead of the Coalition by 52% to 48%, although a Resolve poll from earlier in the month had Mr Battin six points ahead of Ms Allan as preferred premier.
Mr Battin’s trip comes after Ms Allan made her first state visit to China last month where she promised to bring in more Chinese international students.
In his video shared on RedNote, which is headquartered in Shanghai, Mr Battin asked his Chinese followers to give him an idea of what to eat during the trip and declared “I love Chinese food”.
“I want to make sure I get the most authentic experience I can, give me a challenge on some things that are spicy, some things that are sweet, and some things that are one of your favourite dishes from your home town,” he said.
But many Australians asked why Mr Battin was visiting China during a cost-of-living crisis, and accused him and the Liberal Party of being indistinguishable from Labor.
“Working my ass off just to feed my kids. Have a nice holiday,” wrote one disgruntled Aussie on X.
“Belt and road with kowtow sauce is very popular with Australian politicians and ex-politicians,” said another, referring to former Labor Premier Dan Andrew’s controversial deal with Beijing that was later vetoed by the federal government and earned him the nicknames “Dim Sum Dan” and “Dumpling Dan”.
“This guy doesn’t care about the state either, he’s just auditioning for a boardroom job somewhere when his time in Spring Street is up,” said a third.
Mr Battin has also been heavily criticised by conservative and right-wing voters for condemning the March for Australia rallies on August 31, and then for failing to call out far-left extremist violence during the second round of protests on Sunday.
Header image: Brad Battin in his Chinese social media video (Xiaohongshu).
