• Ministers for State Development and Agriculture and Food to visit China
• Resources, agriculture and other economic opportunities to be explored

Resources, agriculture and relationships will be the focus of a forthcoming visit to China by State Development Minister Bill Marmion and Agriculture and Food Minister Dean Nalder.
 
The five-day China trade visit next week to meet with senior representatives of the People's Republic of China and business leaders is the first for both Ministers since taking up their respective portfolios in March.
 
"China is our largest trading partner, with two-way trade valued at $59.4 billion in 2015," Mr Marmion said.
 
"While currently our exports are dominated by resource products such as iron ore, there are many opportunities to expand our relationship in areas like agribusiness, education and training and technology."
 
The Ministers will visit Ningbo, a port city in China's east, before travelling to the capital, Beijing for a series of high-level meetings with government and industry.
 
Mr Nalder said the visit would provide an insight into how Chinese companies viewed Western Australia as a safe supplier of quality, safe and reliable food.

"Ningbo lies in the Zhejiang Province, which has been a Sister State of Western Australia for almost 30 years," he said.
 
"A number of companies in Zhejiang are working with the cattle supply chain in WA to commence exports of beef into China."
 
In Beijing, the Ministers will meet officials from key Chinese ministries including Commerce and Agriculture, as well as representatives from the National Development and Reform Commission and State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.
 
The Ministers will also meet major Chinese petroleum, resource, agricultural and finance companies investing in, or supporting investment in, Western Australia.


Fact File

• More than half of WA's merchandise exports went to China in 2015. Top export items included iron ore, gold and petroleum
• Western Australia's agricultural exports to China were valued at $1.7 billion in 2014-15, led by barley, wool, canola and wheat