Australia's largest-ever trade mission to China, led by Premier Ted Baillieu, is good news for jobs and investment in Ballarat.
The trade mission secured Chinese investments that will create hundreds of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in investment.
In Shanghai, I launched Sovereign Hill's new
China Business Strategy,
which was based on original research through the University of Ballarat. Sovereign Hill is an industry leader in developing the Chinese inbound market, and this initiative takes the next step in its engagement with China.
Sovereign Hill also featured prominently in the launch of Tourism Victoria's first dedicated brand campaign for China, which will attract more visitors and create tourism jobs.
Ballarat was well represented on the trade mission, with delegates from Ballarat ranging from automotive manufacturing and sustainable urban design to tourism and education.
In Beijing, the premier announced that the University of Ballarat would be providing three new PhD scholarships in the fields of mathematics, bio-medical science and computing IT that will drive research and development for the benefit of both Victoria and China.
The Super Trade Mission builds on the Victorian Coalition government's earlier launch of a new food and wine campaign in China, with four dedicated 30-minute television episodes of
The Wine Tour
on China's main TV channels, promoting Victorian wineries and premium food providers to an estimated audience of 410 million people.
THE HON LOUISE ASHER
Minister for Innovation,
Services and Small Business
Minister for Tourism and Major Events