Western Australia's premier says it's "unfounded" to have a fearful relationship with the state's largest trading partner, as he travels to China for the first time in four years.
Relationships between the two nations have been strained over that time on a variety of fronts, but WA has continued to benefit, particularly as a result of China's need for iron ore to fuel its construction sector.
China last year accounted for just under half of WA's international trade, estimated to be worth $146 billion.
International tensions with the nation are continuing to simmer on multiple fronts, including around Australia's AUKUS nuclear submarine deal and the detention of Melbourne woman Cheng Lei.
Last week saw some progress made on one of those issues, with both sides agreeing to resolve a dispute over crippling tariffs imposed by China on Australian barley.
But Mr McGowan said other restrictions on wine, beef and lobster would all be on the agenda.
"Trade restrictions, and creating a good relationship so that they will be removed at all levels, will be part of the discussions," he told journalists before his departure on Sunday.
Despite questions about what war with China could look like, and the strain of federal government actions like banning Chinese company Huawei from being involved in Australia's 5G network and calls for inquiries into China's handling of the COVID pandemic, Mr McGowan said there was no need for Australians to be fearful.
"It is unfounded to have a fearful relationship with our biggest trading partner, and a country we spent 50 years developing strong ties with," he said.
"I don't detect a great deal of fear or trepidation, certainly in Western Australia, about it.
"I think a lot of people, because we are an export state and a lot of people work in these industries, they understand you need to have customers and so you should work with your customers."
Mr McGowan compared the situation to growing up in a small business run by his father.
"Getting on with your customers is an important thing, so that's why having a good relationship with our customers, whoever they are – China, Japan, Korea, India – is important and that's why I'm going [to China]," he said.
His trip follows similar government missions, including his visit to Japan and South Korea earlier this year, Mines Minister Bill Johnston's trip to Canada, the US, Japan and South Korea last month, and a tour of India last year, led by Deputy Premier Roger Cook with the help of cricketer Brad Hogg.
Trip an exercise in relationship management
Mr McGowan's five-day visit will include meetings with China's National Development and Reform Commission, which is responsible for planning the nation's economy.
He is also expected to meet with businesses, especially those involved in iron ore, Chinese and Australian businesspeople, airlines and Chinese government ministers.
The premier had hoped to meet with representatives of China Southern Airlines in a bid to reinstate the only direct flight between Perth and China, which had connected the city with Guangzhou, but said senior staff would not be able to meet with him during this trip.
"China is an important trading partner and we want to re-establish ties," Mr McGowan said.
"It will be a very packed itinerary with lots of events and functions and meetings, particularly devoted to ensuring we reconnect with our trading partners, making sure we emphasise we want to continue to have a strong economic relationship with China and we want to see it broadened and enhanced so we can continue to create jobs and opportunities here in Western Australia."
CEO of the Perth USAsia Centre and foreign policy expert, Gordon Flake, said the visit was not unusual, and described it as an important "relationship management" effort for WA.
"The West Australia-China relationship is already a success, it's our number one trade partner by far," he said.
"It's very important in terms of our resources trade in particular but also our agricultural trade.
"There are some problems, in that we have been hit as a state particularly hard by China's economic coercion related to our crayfish related to wine, related to barley, but those really are not issues that are negotiated on a state level with a national government."
Resources, education also to feature on agenda
Mr McGowan said he would also be spruiking emerging industries the state is trying to promote, like hydrogen and ammonia.
International education is also expected to be on the agenda, with the premier already announcing an additional $13 million to help lure more overseas students to the state over coming years.
His trip follows a four-day visit to China by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, who faced criticism for announcing the trip the day before he left and not taking any media representatives with him.
Mr McGowan's trip has been known about for weeks, and his delegation will include a journalist and photographer understood to have been chosen by his office.
Despite a stressed relationship with China for much of the last four years, recent months have seen a softening.
That includes dialogue with China being re-established when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese held Australia's first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping since 2016.
"I've been very pleased the Commonwealth government has adopted a sensible, reasonable and responsible approach towards China," Mr McGowan said.
"The last federal government was irresponsible and economically reckless, so it's good there's been a change."
But Professor Flake cautioned against thinking the federal government's approach to China had "fundamentally shifted".
He said Australia had not given into a list of 14 demands put forward by the Chinese government in 2020 and said its leaders had recognised "overt economic coercion" had backfired.
"What it really is, is that you don't have overt provocations coming out of either Beijing or Canberra at this point, and so it's a lowering of the temperature," he said.
"The fundamental issues remain, and so our premier will go well … the iron ore sector remains strong, the energy sector remains strong, but Australia as a country, and WA as a state still has some fundamental concerns.
"He's [Mark McGowan] not there to solve all the nation's problems, he's there to maintain relationships that matter to the state."
