Speeches
Wednesday, 15 April 2026
Banquet hosted by the Governor of Shandong
I am delighted to be back in Shandong Province, on my second visit to China as Governor of South Australia.
My visit comes at a particularly significant time in the South Australia-Shandong relationship, as we come together in celebration of the 40th anniversary of our Sister-State agreement.
This partnership is South Australia’s most dynamic and longest standing Sister-State Relationship, providing mutual benefit in trade and investment partnerships across the food, wine and agribusiness, education, energy, arts and culture, sports, tourism and sustainability sectors.
As we celebrate 40 years, we recognise that today is more than a commemoration of the passage of time.
It is a testament to the strength, continuity and mutual respect that underpin our relationship.
Our partnership has grown from a foundation of goodwill into an enduring collaboration through trade, education, culture and people-to-people exchange.
We have welcomed students from Shandong to South Australia, and they have enriched our education institutions; we have seen South Australian wine and produce enter Chinese markets and homes; and we have seen institutional partnerships strengthen across both jurisdictions.
These outcomes reflect a relationship built on trust, consistency and shared interests.
Governor Zhou, I am pleased to join you one year on from your meeting here in Jinan with South Australia’s former Deputy Premier, the Hon Dr Susan Close, and the then Minister for Trade and Investment, the Hon Joe Szakacs.
Your commitment to the Sister-State relationship was evident in that meeting, particularly through your agreement to re-enliven the South Australia-Shandong Province sectoral working groups.
Through this working group framework, we have observed the goodwill that has consistently underpinned our relationship translated into structured cooperation, across education partnerships, agribusiness exchanges and joint research.
On my last visit to Jinan, I spoke of my optimism for the opportunities that were before South Australia and Shandong Province.
It is therefore pleasing now, on my return to Jinan two years later, to speak to concrete examples of engagement agreed to by both parties, and the fruitful conversations that are taking place through this structured cooperation.
Our relationship is a great example of what can be achieved through open dialogue, shared objectives and the pursuit of initiatives that are to the benefit of us both.
And there is nothing that supports this open dialogue more than reciprocal visits between our jurisdictions.
To that end, your first visit to South Australia in November last year was particularly signifcant.
I was pleased to welcome you to Government House and was greatly encouraged by the signing of the Joint Communique signifying our shared commitment to the relationship on the occasion of the 40th anniversary.
South Australia remains grateful for the opportunity to engage in such a valuable exchange of knowledge and experience, working towards mutually determined goals.
As we celebrate this anniversary, we will continue to back initiatives that deliver practical outcomes in education, clean energy and trade and investment.
Governor Zhou, thank you again for your hospitality.
It is an honour to be in Shandong, once again, to celebrate this milestone among friends.