Daniel Andrews will embark on a four-day trade mission to China on Monday evening amid criticism over the lack of transparency and detail about who the Victorian premier will meet during the visit.
The announcement of the trip – which will be the first visit to China by an Australian leader since the Aukus defence pact was signed earlier this month – sparked outrage among the federal Coalition, with MPs arguing the exclusion of Australia media meant the public would be forced to rely on state-run media coverage.
But federal Labor MPs argued the trip would contribute to the Albanese government’s attempts to stabilise Australia’s relationship with China.
Guardian Australia understands the premier will travel to Beijing alongside the secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Jeremi Moule, and two members of the premier’s private office. But no Australian journalists have been invited to report on the trip, with the premier arguing it was not “picture-friendly” and would consist of back-to-back meetings.
The federal assistant trade minister, Tim Ayres, who is also travelling to China this week to attend the country’s Boao business forum, backed Andrews’ trip and said having state premiers engaging on a diplomatic level with Beijing was a “good sign”.
But Victorian Liberal senator James Paterson, the co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said it was “unorthodox” for the premier to travel without media.
“The Victorian taxpayers who will pick up the tab for the trip are entitled to full disclosure about where he’s going, who he’s seeing, what they discuss and what outcomes are secured,” he told Guardian Australia.
The federal opposition’s immigration spokesperson, Dan Tehan, told Sky News that not inviting media to report on the trip meant the public would be forced to rely on reports from China’s state-run media.
“He should articulate what the purpose is, why he’s going, what are the outcomes he’s seeking to achieve for Victoria from this secret trip that he will not take any reporters on,” he said.
But Labor MP Peter Khalil, the chair of the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security, said the premier’s trip would help stabilise Australia’s bilateral relationship with China.
“It will enhance our economic links, particularly with respect to encouraging international students to study in Australia,” he said.
“Diplomacy is a key tool of engagement with other nations and as a representative of more than six million Australians, the premier has an important role in developing economic opportunities for Victoria.”
Andrews on Sunday said the trip would focus on enticing Chinese students back to the state post-pandemic. He pointed to the 42,000 Chinese students in Victoria enrolled in higher education studies and said his government would aim to grow that number to 52,000-62,000 or beyond.
China’s trade with Victoria – valued at $40bn last year despite Covid – came under fire when Andrews in 2019 signed up to Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative, blindsiding the Morrison government. The then Coalition government later axed the agreement in 2021 after passing foreign veto laws, arguing it was inconsistent with the nation’s foreign policy.
Andrews said he would travel to Beijing, Jiangsu and Sichuan and meet with senior officials from the Beijing government and national education ministry. The trip marks the premier’s seventh trip to China.
The premier on Sunday also said Anthony Albanese had been supportive of his planned trip.
