Power couple President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan relish their taste of Tassie
HOBART has turned on the warmest of welcomes for Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan, who so enjoyed their visit they lingered hours longer than originally planned.
Tasmania
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HOBART has turned on the warmest of welcomes for Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan, who so enjoyed their visit they lingered hours longer than originally planned.
From the moment they touched down at Hobart International Airport until their departure in the early evening, they were given a whirlwind taste of Tasmanian hospitality.
They took in Government House, the Hobart waterfront and had a quick private trip up Mt Wellington.
Hopes are high in political and business circles the visit will herald a new era of trade and cultural links between Tasmania and China.
And the signs are encouraging, with businessman Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest, who joined the President’s entourage yesterday, telling a TasInvest gala dinner last night Mr Xi had enjoyed his day immensely.
“He said to me, ‘I want you to know I leave Tasmania today even more enthusiastic than I have ever been about Australia’,” Mr Forrest said.
He said Mr Xi said it was his hope that Tasmania, the rest of the nation and China would share a prosperous and peaceful future.
Images of the visit were beamed into hundreds of millions of Chinese households by a big Chinese media contingent.
GALLERY: PRESIDENT XI JINPING ARRIVES IN HOBART
Tight security was obvious throughout the city, with local, Federal and Chinese agents a visible presence and road closures related to the visit caused repeating traffic delays in the city and on the Tasman Bridge.
After being welcomed by Lieutenant Governor Alan Blow and Premier Will Hodgman at Hobart Airport shortly after 11am, the couple was presented with a lavender bear and a posy of peonies and Madame Peng exchanged warm greetings with waiting schoolchildren.
Among them was Louis Watson, 9, from Waimea Heights Primary School.
“She gave us hugs,” Louis said.
As they were whisked in a motorcade to Government House for a round of formalities and a luncheon, hundreds lined the Tasman Highway in front of the Cenotaph to greet the President.
Many were Tasmanians of Chinese origin, some were with spiritual leader Master Wang, others were university students or travellers thrilled by the chance to see the President.
Ji Jiang and wife Donna Sun, of Glenorchy, wanted their children Nilun, 5, and Tovi, to be able to greet the couple. They said it was a precious opportunity.
“We love it here and he will love it as well,” Donna said.
Kaitlyn, a University of Tasmania student from Dalian in China, said it was a thrill for overseas students.
“It’s a very big issue for us. In China we don’t have many opportunities to see him because he is very busy.’’
A small group, including Greens MP Nick McKim, protested about Tibet.
Yangchen Dolkar, of Hobart, said Tibetans were happy to live alongside the Chinese but Tibetans wanted home rule.
“We want basic human rights. We’re not asking for luxuries,” Miss Dolkar said.
At Government House the couple was welcomed by a Hobart school choir before meeting students from Scotch Oakburn College who had written to them as a class project.
Grade 5 student Chloe Edwards said she was honoured to meet the President.
“He said he wanted to welcome us to China to play and to study and to see all the sights,” Chloe said.
Madame Peng swooned over three orphaned baby Tasmanian devils, six-month-old sisters Lulu, Bella and Possum.
The devils have been hand-reared by staff at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary since their mother died from devil facial tumour disease.
GALLERY: PRESIDENT XI JINPING AT GOVERNMENT HOUSE
Bonorong founder Greg Irons said President Xi seemed to enjoy patting the small devils.
Additional security was called in to help control the feisty Chinese media contingent, several of whom at times flirted perilously close to arrest.
After lunch, and already running well behind schedule, the couple visited a showcase of Antarctic endeavour and took part in a videolink with the frozen continent.
President Xi and his wife also toured the flagship of their nation’s Antarctic program at Hobart’s Macquarie Wharf.
The crew of the Xue Long gave the President and his wife a warm round of applause.
The couple were accompanied in their inspection of the ship by Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
President Xi and Mr Abbott signed a memorandum of understanding on greater co-operation in Antarctica.
The President and Madam Peng squeezed in a quick visit to the summit of Mt Wellington and a photo opportunity for Chinese media.
Their departure was a less happy affair for locals.
The rolling road closures necessary to see the VIP visitors and their entourage on their way coincided with the evening peak period and caused chaos for motorists’ evening commute.
They eventually left town close to two hours behind schedule, their Air China plane lifting off soon after 6pm.
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