Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has announced she will visit China on a trade mission later this year while declaring that diversity is the state’s “biggest strength”.
The Labor premier unveiled her plans for the trip at the M2050 summit on Melbourne’s future on Friday, and later revealed she was developing a new “China strategy” built around food, clean energy, medical technology, tourism and education.
The trip is planned for September, and is Ms Allan’s second overseas trade mission, coming after her visit to India last year where she pledged millions to help Indian international students avoid caps imposed by the federal government and created a new regional visa pathway for them to get permanent residency.
“Our new China strategy is about a new era of jobs, growth and stability for Victorian workers, and a new era of respect for Victorians from the Chinese community,” Ms Allan said.
“It’s a strategy that will be built around Victoria’s five key strengths: Food and fibre, advanced manufacturing and clean energy, medtech and pharma, tourism and creative industries, and – of course – international education.
“These sectors are where we stand apart. That’s our pipeline for growth and our offering to the Asian marketplace. They’re built on the biggest strengths of all: our people and our diversity.”
Ms Allan then accused her political opponents of racism and lashed out at Donald Trump.
“Over the last few years, we’ve heard unnecessary and divisive rhetoric from conservative politicians that have been hurtful to Chinese Australian families,” she said.
“In an era of tariffs and global economic uncertainty, I want to seize an opportunity for Victoria to create good, stable jobs and drive strong economic growth.
“And in an era of divisive, Trump-style rhetoric here and abroad, I want to make the case that Victorians from overseas are a proud part of our story to the world.”
Ms Allan’s announcement comes after huge swings to Labor from Chinese immigrant voters in last week’s federal election, following pre-election polls that showed 60% of those from non-English speaking backgrounds were likely to support Labor.
In Victoria Labor gained votes in the marginal seats of Menzies, Aston and Chisholm which all have large proportions of Chinese residents, and in Menzies the polling booths with the largest swings all had high Chinese ancestry populations.
In Box Hill, where 46% have Chinese ancestry and both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition leader Peter Dutton campaigned and promised to fund the local Lunar New Year festival, Labor won 71% of all votes.
And in Chatswood and Eastwood in the Sydney seat of Bennelong polling booths showed swings of between 15% and 26% to Labor. Both suburbs are more than 40% Chinese.
Ms Allan’s predecessor Danial Andrews took several trips to China as premier, with one 2023 visit costing the taxpayer $82,000, and his banning of journalists on the visit earnt him the nicknames “Dumpling Dan” and “Dim Sum Dan”.
Header image: Left, Jacinta Allan on Lunar New Year (Facebook). Right, Dan Andrews in Beijing (supplied).
