Details on Daniel Andrews’ China trip finally revealed
The cost of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ secretive trip to China earlier this year has been revealed.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has released his latest travel report to China, revealing the secretive four-day visit cost just over $80,000.
It is the seventh time Mr Andrews has visited the People’s Republic of China since securing the state’s top job in 2014.
The Premier was criticised for failing to invite any media, as is usual practice, and did not raise the continued detention of Australian journalist Cheng Lei or writer Yang Hengjun with any officials.
He announced the trip to China – in which he visited Beijing, Nanjing and Chengdu – only on the day before he left on March 26 this year.
According to the report, published about 4pm on Thursday, airfares cost $61,813 and accommodation cost $14,933. A further $5968 was spent on “other expenses”.
Mr Andrews said the purpose of the trip was to promote closer “education, trade and tourism ties” with Victoria’s biggest trading partner.
“As the first Australian leader to visit China since the onset of the pandemic, this visit was my first official overseas travel since 2019, and my seventh to China as Premier,” the report read.
“My program consisted primarily of government-to-government meetings as an important step towards constructive and mutually beneficial post-pandemic engagement between Victoria and China.”
There were opposition calls earlier in the year for Mr Andrews to reveal why he was not taking any university chancellors with him, given he claimed the purpose of the trip was to increase international student numbers.
According to the report, Mr Andrews said the trip was in line with strengthening Victoria’s relationship with Jiangsu and Sichuan provinces, the state’s oldest and newest sister-states.
“My travel aligns with government priorities to promote Victoria’s interests and capabilities with the state’s largest trading partner, and largest pre-pandemic source of international visitors and international students,” he said.
Mr Andrews visited Australia’s ambassador to China Graham Fletcher, Australia’s consul-general to Shanghai Dominic Trindade and Australia’s consul-general to Chengdu Adelle Neary.
Among a number of officials, Mr Andrews met with China’s Education Minister Huai Jinpeng to discuss postgraduate student exchanges and vocational opportunities for Chinese students in Victoria. As well, Mr Andrews met with Jiangsu Province party secretary Xin Changxing, Jiangsu Province governor Xu Kunlin and Sichuan Province party secretary Wang Xiaohui to talk about education, trade ties and health and medical research.
A reciprocal visit from the Sichuan Province party secretary led to an extension of an agreement between Tennis Australia and whiskey company Luzhou Laojiao.
According to the report, Mr Andrews’ wife did not join him. It said he was accompanied by two ministerial staff.
The trip took place from March 27 to April 1 this year.
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