The Tasmanian Government will enter into three Memorandums of Understanding on Monday in a further sign of the growing importance of our friendship with China.
To be witnessed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Canberra ahead of his historic visit to Tasmania, the Memorandums will be signed with the state-owned China Development Bank Corporation (CBD) and two Chinese provincial governments.
In signing these Memorandums on behalf of the State of Tasmania, I will be giving our commitment to greater cooperation with China.
Our agreement with the CBD, the world’s largest development bank, is particularly exciting as it could pave the way for new investment in Tasmania across industries including agriculture, mining and tourism.
China and Tasmania have a shared wish to strengthen our sister-state relationship with the Fujian province, and we will establish a joint committee to coordinate future bilateral exchanges.
This will include the hosting, over the next two years, of a Fujian Week in Tasmania and a Tasmania Week in Fujian.
The third Memorandum will focus on cooperating with the Shaanxi province to improve the international competitiveness of our respective fruit industries.
Along with working together on trade and investment, and science and food safety, the two parties will also investigate the feasibility of establishing an international school of fruit industry.
All three of these Memorandums offer benefits to the Tasmanian economy through increased Chinese investment and greater access to Chinese markets.
The pending China-Australia Free Trade Agreement and the exposure in China from President Xi’s visit will help to grow our economy and create jobs.
A Message from the Premier can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BUGLyLl2c8 A broadcast quality copy is available at https://mega.co.nz/#!V1FnTToC!uNJObaBCZAPNgmxed7I1c5ajuQNWfdd2kMenSfI5f78
Will Hodgman, Premier
