A large trade mission from South Australia to China begins today with a focus on securing new markets for food and wine from South Australia.
More than a quarter of the 250-strong delegation visiting the South Australian sister province of Shandong, China, are from the food, wine and agribusiness industries.
The unique mission is the culmination of four years of relationship building between the two areas and will include the second South Australia–Shandong Cooperation and Development forum that begins today in Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province.
South Australian Minister for Investment and Trade Martin Hamilton Smith said the timing of the trip was important to help Australian companies understand the Chinese market to take advantage of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
Shandong has a population of about 100 million and a gross domestic product of close to $AUD1 trillion.
“A broad range of sectors will be represented on the trip, including representatives from the agricultural, arts, education, health, mining and resources, tourism, and wine sectors,” Smith said.
He said that South Australia’s food and wine, the state’s largest export earner, will be a focus of the trip.
“South Australia has premium products and services that the Chinese are looking for, but we don’t have the size to get attention in the massive Chinese market which is being flooded by business from America, Europe and the rest of Asia. That is why we are consolidating our efforts into this strategic and focussed approach,” Smith said.
Catherine Barnett, the CEO of Food South Australia, said there would be a number of high level meetings with government and industry in Jinan, Beijing and Qingdao.
“There is a significant focus on food and wine and the combination of government and industry will provide a strong and united South Australian presence which should provide significant trade opportunities,” Barnett said.
Today’s mission comes less than a month after Barnett hosted the Australian contingent to SIAL, China’s largest food trade show in Shanghai.
“Shows like this indicate the opening up of the China market and the demand for safe food,” she said.
Daren Thomas, the CEO of Thomas Foods International, said trips to the provinces of China gave him the opportunity to meet buyers for his meat that he could not get if he were to stay in the capitals. He said the trade mission also gave South Australian food producers and processors the backing and depth needed to trade in China.
“China is such a large place that there is no one company or agency that you can deal with to reach consumers across the country. Meeting the business leaders in each province is essential,” Thomas said.