President Xi Jinping and his wife recently met with Belgian royals during their Chinese visit. (Photo : Reuters)
The record turnout on the lawns of Tasmania's Parliament House to ring in the Chinese New Year in the southern Australian state would have brought a smile to the face of President Xi Jinping, who visited the capital city of Hobart in November.
The prominent visit from the leader of the world's most populous nation remains fresh in the mind of the state's premier, Will Hodgman, who will head a governmental junket to the east Asian nation in March.
November's visit, which was bound by four finalized agreements that included an ongoing windfarm partnership between Hydro Tasmania and Shenhua Group Corporation, was not a birth-by-fire for Beijing's top officer, as Tasmania has been the sister state of China's Fujian Province, where the president was once governor, for over three decades.
Xi bestowed an honorary citizenship onto late Tasmanian politician Jim Bacon during his time in the governor's office.
Hodgman identified the oncoming Year of the Sheep as one in which he is seeking to further develop the ties between the two very different-sized governments.
Next month's Tasmanian delegation was described by the premier as an important opportunity to both renew connections and "progress the agreements that were struck."
The state leader confirmed the success of the November visit and told local reporters:
"We have strong ties with the Chinese community economically, socially, culturally. Our focus . . . will be . . . great outcomes for key sectors in agriculture, aquaculture, mining, energy and also international education."
Tasmania's Lunar New Year Festival chairman, James Lee, said that the increased popularity of last week's event was "totally unexpected."
