Confirmation that His Excellency Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China, and Madam Peng Liyuan will visit Tasmania next month is wonderful news for the State.
We value and appreciate our important relationship with China, which is why I extended a personal invitation to President Xi when I visited China just a few weeks after becoming Premier.
The visit will present unparalleled opportunities to promote our state to the world and to further strengthen the economic and cultural ties between China and Tasmania.
China is our state's largest trading partner, with merchandise and exports of $610 million.
Tasmania's ability to supply this growing market with high-quality produce with guaranteed provenance makes this a major economic opportunity.
During the week of the visit the Liberal Government will host TasInvest, which will showcase the best of Tasmania's investment opportunities in agriculture, aquaculture, resources, tourism, education and Antarctic affairs.
Already there's been strong interest with more than 80 Chinese and international delegates registering, including a number of Fortune 500 companies.
This interest from China will increase exponentially with confirmation the Chinese President will visit our state.
Our state's growing profile as a must-see tourism destination will also gain an unprecedented boost with a visit from the Chinese President set to create immeasurable international exposure for our state.
China is our number one international tourist market with a record 20,400 Chinese tourists visiting Tasmania in the 12 months to June. The Chinese President's visit to our state will without doubt help us to reach our target of attracting 1.5 million visitors to our state every year by 2020.
I am confident Tasmanians will embrace this once in a generation opportunity to promote everything special about our state.
Note: Media wanting to cover the visit to Tasmania need to have a National Visits Media Card (http://www.ag.gov.au/About/Media/Pages/NationalVisitsMediaCard.aspx) and register their interest by emailing visit@dpac.tas.gov.au