Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman had national security briefing ahead of Asian trade mission

PREMIER Will Hodgman says concern about the state’s dealings with China are “unfounded and unfortunate”.

Premier Will Hodgman at Houston's Farm Forcett after a recent trade trip to Asia. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

PREMIER Will Hodgman says concern about the state’s dealings with China are “unfounded and unfortunate”, revealing for the first time he was briefed by national security agencies ahead of his 15-day trade mission through Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Singapore.

Mr Hodgman returned to the state on Friday after a whirlwind trip that included a series of memorandums of understanding being signed with Chinese businesses.

An MOU signed with a Chinese state agency agreeing to co-operate in areas of science, research and logistics remained unchanged despite the subsequent folding of the original signatory body, Mr Hodgman said yesterday.

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He again hit out at China researchers’ concerns that the nation was scoping Antarctica for resources.

“I believe the concerns that people have are not founded,” Mr Hodgman said. “That doesn’t mean to say, of course, our national authorities would keep a very close eye, as indeed all treaty partners would on operations in Antarctica.”

Nor did that mean Tasmania was allowing free access to the continent, Mr Hodgman said.

“We’ve got an advantage being the nation’s gateway to Antarctica,” Mr Hodgman said.

“That doesn’t mean we throw the gates open to whoever wants to come here or allow them to do whatever they want in Antarctica, that’s not something that the Tasmanian government has jurisdiction over.

“We are able to work with our national agencies to facilitate more port visits and logistical support to allow them to undertake more operations in Antarctica, and that would deliver $2.5 million from two visits from a Chinese ice breaker to our state. I think that’s a positive.”

The Greens have been highly critical of aspects of the Tasmanian government’s dealings with the Chinese state, accusing Mr Hodgman of “cosying up to the Communist government”.

Mr Hodgman said: “I think a lot of it is unfounded and unfortunate because they’re a large trading partner and that supports businesses and jobs.”

Figures released earlier this year showed sales to mainland China were worth about 30 per cent of Tasmania’s $3.3 billion international export market.