Victoria and the Jiangsu Province of China are today celebrating 40 years of friendship thanks to a sister-state relationship that is delivering jobs, trade and strengthened cultural ties for both states.
The Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, today joined the Governor of Jiangsu Province, Wu Zhenglong, in Nanjing at a ceremony to mark our oldest and most enduring sister-state relationship that has been the cornerstone of our Chinese engagement for many years.
Over four decades since 1979, Victoria and Jiangsu have worked together successfully in a range of sectors, including science, technology and innovation, creative arts, and education, and has seen:
- Almost 52,000 tourists from Jiangsu visit Victoria in 2018, which is up nearly 42 per cent since 2014
- 138 Victorian students taking part in intensive language study in Jiangsu Province thanks to the Victorian Government’s Hamer Scholarships Program, which is about boosting cultural ties and knowledge
- The Southeast University-Monash University Joint Graduate School at Suzhou having 647 graduates from the school since opening in 2012, with 633 currently studying on campus
- Over 50 Jiangsu Province and Victorian workers involved in workforce training and development thanks to the Victoria-Jiangsu Health Collaboration Agreement.
- More than 900 medical professionals taking part in reciprocal visits for training and clinical exchanges
As part of the anniversary, Victoria and Jiangsu will participate in an artist-in-residency program. This will provide the opportunity for a Victorian artist to travel to Jiangsu, to create an artwork to be gifted to our sister-state, with Victoria hosting an artist from Jiangsu.
The celebration of Victoria’s sister-state relationship with Jiangsu follows the Premier attending the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing.
As part of the Forum, the Premier met with key Chinese government officials and business leaders to discuss potential opportunities to help deliver Victoria’s record pipeline of infrastructure investment.
The Andrews Labor Government has set ambitious targets for trade, education, and cultural relations through the Partnerships for Prosperity, Victoria’s new China Strategy. This has seen our exports to China double to $10 billion and Victoria’s share of Chinese investment in Australia more than triple to 27 per cent.
The visit to China is the Premier’s fifth in five years, as Victoria looks to cement our relationship with the world’s second biggest economy and our main trading partner.
Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews
“We’re proud of our sister-state relationship with Jiangsu Province, which is about jobs, trade and strengthening our cultural ties.”
“Over the past forty years, this international partnership has been the cornerstone of Victoria’s engagement with China – and we look forward to it strengthening even more over the next forty years.”
“Victoria is the gateway for Chinese investment and trade in Australia – and we are proud of the strong and lasting relationship we have built with our largest trading partner.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020