Page 1368 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 3 May 2016
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meeting with senior representatives from Singapore Airlines in their north Asia and China markets as well as Tourism Australia’s representative for the entire north Asia region, we discussed opportunities to grow Canberra’s inbound tourism market from China through Singapore Airlines’ direct flights to our city.
More tourists and more inbound visitation means more economic activity and more jobs for Canberrans, which is one of the many ways that direct flights will boost our economy. There are great opportunities to grow visitor numbers from China, Hong Kong and other north Asian countries by working strategically with significant partners like Singapore Airlines and Tourism Australia.
My official Australia Week in China program included participation in the gala showcase event for the week hosted by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, where the thousand Australian delegates were joined by an equivalent number of Chinese delegates for the largest event of its kind delivered as part of an Australian government trade mission. Lunch for 2,000 people is something quite extraordinary. It provided a unique opportunity for the members of the Canberra delegation to engage with a broad spectrum of Chinese investors, businesspeople and government officials.
Shaw Vineyard Estate was one of the Canberra exporters at the event and is one of our region’s top wine exporters. Shaw will be just one stop away from China come September, where they have recently opened a retail shopfront. Shaw is focusing on developing an export market into Asia, marketing to China and Hong Kong, the Philippines, Taiwan and South Korea, and is aiming to have an established export market within the next three years.
Growing our economy’s exports is an important part of the government’s vision and is strongly supported by our business development strategy. Trade and investment with China is central to our country’s future prosperity, and Chinese markets offer a relatively new and large market for expansion for our local businesses.
During my visit to Shanghai I also joined University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Parker at a series of meetings with the East China University of Science and Technology. The university is a research university founded in 1952. Originally specialising in chemistry, it has evolved to offer a range of courses in science, engineering, information management, economics, business, the arts and law.
A range of postgraduate masters programs have been established between the East China University of Science and Technology and the University of Canberra. At the meeting with President Jing-ping Qu of ECUST, Professor Parker explored avenues for further engagement between the two universities, particularly in the areas of sports and health science.
During the last leg of my trip, in Hong Kong, I met with senior executives of Cathay Pacific freight and DHL Freight to promote the opportunity for the two organisations to leverage the geographical potential of Canberra Airport as an inbound freight gateway. The ACT government and Canberra Airport have successfully demonstrated that the region presents a viable commercial international passenger proposition, and we are convinced that the same is true for freight.
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