Half a century ago, US President Richard Nixon visited China on a history-making mission, establishing diplomatic ties with the Communist country after 25 years. Chief Minister Andrew Barr has slightly less lofty ambitions: trade, tourism and economic development.

Mr Barr has gone to China on a trade mission — his first official visit to the ACT’s largest trading partner since 2019, before the COVID pandemic. Will the whole world be listening when the Chief Minister shakes hands with his Beijing counterpart? Will John Adams set the moment to music?

The Commissioner for International Engagement, Brendan Smyth, and representatives from the government’s tourism agency Visit Canberra will also be part of the mission, which is supported by Tourism Australia, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and AusTrade.

Chinese official news agency Xinhua recently reported favourably on Mr Barr’s “strong willingness to […] enhance co-operation with China in areas such as trade, culture, education and tourism”.

This year marks the 25^th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Beijing and Canberra. The delegation will meet the Mayor of Beijing, Yin Yong, and representatives of the Beijing Municipal Government.

China is the ACT’s largest export market, and the ACT government hopes to boost Chinese tourism and investment here, as part of a tourism strategy to increase Canberra’s visitor economy to $5 billion by 2030. Chinese tourists make up 15 per cent of international visitors to the ACT, but account for 52 per cent of foreign tourist spending.

The trade mission will meet airlines (including Air China and Cathay Pacific), hotel operators, and tourism businesses, and visit the Cunzhi Senior High School, Shanghai, which offers the ACT Year 12 certificate through the Board of Senior Secondary Studies.

The Chief Minister’s component of the trade mission is reported to cost less than $15,000, and to be met from the ACT Executive 2024-25 Budget. The final cost will be reported in a quarterly travel report.

Andrew Barr is not to be confused with Andrew Barr, senior director of finance and administration at the US-China Business Council, nor with Republican Congressman Andy Barr, who has passed bills opposing the global influence of the Chinese Communist Party.

Other political news

The Canberra Liberals have decried the government’s recent proposal to impose a five per cent levy on short-term rental accommodation. Treasurer Chris Steel MLA last week said he hoped the levy would increase the supply of long-term accommodation; but shadow treasurer Ed Cocks MLA believes it would not do so at all, and cited the government’s own analysis that short-term rentals make up less than 1 per cent of the housing market and do not significantly affect rental affordability. Mr Steel has said that revenue from the levy would support tourism, events and government services, from which Mr Cocks concluded that a financially desperate government simply wanted to introduce the tax because it needed more money.

The Legislative Assembly has established a select committee to examine how caretaker conventions operate during election campaigns. Chair Shane Rattenbury MLA invites all stakeholders — from politicians to the public — to make submissions by 9 May. For more information, visit Inquiry into Caretaker Conventions – ACT Legislative Assembly.