Australia ‘festival’ to focus on Chinese cities

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham is set to announce today a “Festival of Australia” in 10 of China’s biggest cities

Ollie Wines of Port Adelaide (right) and Seb Ross of St Kilda pose in Little China Town in Melbourne. The teams will play each other in China.

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham is set to announce today an ambitious “Festival of Australia” in 10 of China’s biggest cities to strengthen a broad-based thrust to boost Australia’s challenging ­engagement with China.

The festival’s 40 events will focus on business but will also showcase Australian culture, culminating in the third annual AFL match to be played on June 2 in Shanghai — between Port Adelaide and St Kilda — both of which have committed to two further annual contests there.

The government yesterday announced — in the face of continuing, puzzling delays in Australian coal imports to China — the establishment of a National ­Foundation for Australia-China Relations, and the appointment of top China-­expert diplomat Graham Fletcher as the next ambassador in Beijing.

Approved at cabinet level, the Festival of Australia will target cities chiefly in southern China.

It is a tailored version of the hugely successful G’day USA ­program “where America and Australia meet”, now in its 16th year.

This new China thrust has an unusual twist in that it reflects how football is playing a key role in helping re-energise flagging China-Australia relations — “adding greater promotional value”, Senator Birmingham told The Weekend Australian yesterday.

It provides a fresh commitment to kickstart the connection with Australia’s top trading partner following the Australia Week in China programs that in 2014 and 2016 each brought about 1000 Australian businesspeople to China and involved then prime ministers Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull.

But that impetus petered out as official ties between the countries grew testy, while China put huge effort into its new import forums.

Senator Birmingham said the new festival complemented yesterday’s China announcements from Canberra.

The two-week Festival of Australia, to start on May 20, would also bring a more intense spotlight on regular events involving the two countries, he said.