It doesn't seem have a care in the world, and is completely oblivious to Daniel Andrews, who is standing a short distance away, laughing at the spectacle.

"That's the life," the Premier says. "It's obviously a Hawthorn supporter: very happy, I would think."

It's the final day of Andrews' first official visit to China and he's in the booming western city of Chengdu to announce yet another agreement with Victoria's largest trading partner.

This time, it's about pandas and penguins, and a new "sister park" partnership between the Phillip Island Nature Park and the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Centre.

Both organisations are recognised for their work in conservation and eco-tourism, and the deal signed on Saturday will pave the way for the two centres to share research, skills and conduct staff exchanges across both countries.

"We've got 150,000 Chinese visitors coming to the Philip Island penguin parade every single year, and we want that number to grow. It's all about jobs and prosperity," Andrews says. "These are the connections that make such a big difference."

It's the kind of mantra the Premier has been repeating ever since he arrived in Beijing on Monday, and with good reason. After all, China isn't just an economic powerhouse, it's also a fiercely competitive market. For the state government to boost investment and exports, the connections count.

In an interview with The Sunday Age to mark his inaugural trade mission, Andrews admitted the trip had been an eye-opener, but one that could help define the government's first term if it ended up achieving the desired goal: to create jobs.

"This is just as important as any other area of policy because it will underpin the prosperity that we all want," he said last week as we travelled from Beijing to Nanjing on a bullet train at 300 kilometres an hour. "There's not a day to be wasted – it's a very competitive market, and everybody is in China touting for business."

So far, the signs are promising. Backed by a delegation including media buyer Harold Mitchell, Melbourne University vice-chancellor Glyn Davis, Qenos chief executive Jonathan Clancy and department secretaries Chris Eccles and Richard Bolt, Andrews was able to score some notable hits over the past six days.

Several Chinese companies, including the China Railway Corporation, expressed "significant interest" in the $11 billion metro rail project, paving the way for the potential expansion of foreign investment in Victorian infrastructure.

Air China announced daily services between Melbourne and Beijing. Victoria became the first and only state to sign a cultural agreement with the national government of China, for more festivals and art programs over the next five years.

And Andrews spent several meetings talking to interested parties about the government's renewable energy targets and Labor's broader plan to purchase no less than 100 megawatts of new sources of renewable energy over the next few years.

All this was done in the context of a stoush in Canberra over the Free Trade Agreement, which the Premier reckons is a "good deal" – placing himself at odds with Labor and the unions – and could be resolved "if some of the politics could simply come out of it".

"I think it would be better if people in Canberra worked through the issues and talked about them," he says, referring in part to federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. "They might get to a resolution much quicker."

Back at the Chengdu panda breeding centre, Andrews is walking along the footpath admiring the animals when he is spotted by a group of women and children, who happen to be in town from Melbourne.

"Fancy running into you here," says one, as she asks the Premier for a photo. "Can I sell this to Woman's Weekly?"

"You're very handsome," says another.

Andrews beams. "Compared to the pandas, yes."