| Minister's Name | The Hon Daniel Andrews MP |
| Portfolio(s) | Premier of Victoria |
|
Did the Minister’s spouse accompany the Minister in an official capacity? If Yes – please outline the role of the spouse in achieving the outcomes of the visit |
No |
| Accompanying Ministerial staff | Mr Danny Pearson MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier Mr Adam Sims, Director of Media Mr Marty Mei, Senior Adviser Ms Elida Jaksic, Manager Advance Unit |
| Countries visited |
Socialist Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China |
| Date of travel | 20 to 24 October 2019 |
| Number of official travel days (include day of departure and day of return) | 5 |
| Funding source (list Department/s or Agency) | Premier’s Private Office and the Department of Premier and Cabinet |
| Air fares (including taxes and fees) | $75,912.38 |
| Accommodation (including taxes and fees) | $9,723.79 |
| Other expenses (including surface travel and travel allowances) | $14,470.42 |
| Travel cost for Minister and ministerial staff (and spouse or de facto partner if applicable) | $100,106.59 |
| Are the above costs final and complete?* | No |
Purpose of travel
From 20 to 24 October 2019, I travelled to Vietnam and China. The purpose of this travel was to deepen relationships with senior government officials and business leaders and to progress trade and investment initiatives. In Vietnam I reinforced Victoria’s commitment to meaningful and reciprocal government and business relationships. In China I promoted Victoria’s infrastructure capabilities through the Infrastructure Roadshow in Beijing hosted by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). I also signed the Framework Agreement with the NDRC, which will help fast track cooperation in the key areas of infrastructure, innovation, ageing, trade development and market access.
My visit also included meetings with aerospace industry stakeholders, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the NDRC and visits to infrastructure project sites.
Benefits of travel to the State of Victoria
This Official visit marked my first visit to Southeast Asia and my sixth visit to China in five years. It was a significant step in elevating the Victorian Government’s relationship with Vietnam and building on the established relationship with China.
Benefits of the trip to Victoria include:
- growing tourism between Victoria and Vietnam with VietJet Air announcing its intention to commence direct flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Avalon Airport.
- building on RMIT’s footprint in Vietnam by announcing the expansion of its flight training operations to train more pilots in Vietnam and its purchase of a new flight simulator, the first of its kind in Vietnam
- unlocking trade and investment opportunities under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) by signing a Framework Agreement with the NDRC
- a multi-million dollar partnership worth up to $10 million to establish a new research and development centre at the Monash Technology Precinct in Clayton with China’s largest commercial aerospace manufacturer, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), enhancing Victoria’s reputation for high-tech manufacturing jobs
- advancing discussions to increase market access for Victorian agricultural products into China
Activities in Vietnam
Examples of key engagements and related outcomes in Vietnam include:
- building on the momentum of Victoria’s activity in Southeast Asia by announcing a new Victorian Government Trade and Investment office in Ho Chi Minh City to support trade, investment and exchange opportunities for Victoria
- meeting with the Chairman of Da Nang’s People’s Committee and with representatives from Sovico Holdings, demonstrating Victoria’s support for greater cooperation between Vietnamese and Victorian businesses across education and training, infrastructure, major events and tourism
- meeting with the President and Vice Chairman of VietJet Air regarding direct flights between Victoria and Vietnam
- celebrating the strength of Victoria’s education sector and the growing footprint of Victorian universities overseas, including foreshadowing RMIT University’s 20-year anniversary of operation in Vietnam in 2020
Activities in Beijing
Examples of key engagements and related outcomes in China include:
- meeting with Vice Chairman, Mr Ning Jizhe and Deputy Secretary General, Mr Su Wei, of the NDRC, to agree on BRI priority areas, and specific mechanisms for cooperation in these areas
- meeting with the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Huang Wei, to progress Victoria’s BRI priorities in innovation; gain insight into MOST’s future priorities; identify opportunities for collaboration; and highlight Victoria’s strengths in science, technology and research and development
- promoting Victoria’s transport infrastructure pipeline and capabilities of Victorian companies to a group of high-profile Chinese infrastructure delivery companies at an infrastructure roundtable promotion event so that they are better placed to bid for and win contracts for BRI infrastructure projects around the world
- visiting the Daxing International airport to explore what Victoria can learn from China’s experience in developing and building a large-scale transport infrastructure project that includes a fast rail link
- touring a new train station under construction by MTR on line 16 in Beijing’s metro rail network to further Victoria’s understanding of the way large infrastructure projects are delivered in China by MTR, a major shareholder in Melbourne Metro
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