By Richard Willingham

Copyright abc

Nearly 9000 kilometres is a long way to travel for a high-vis photo opportunity in front of a giant infrastructure project.

But on the final day of Jacinta Allan’s whistle stop-tour of China, the premier did just that, standing in front of tunnel being dug under the city of Deyang in Sichuan province in the south-west of the country.

It had many of the hallmarks of a suburban press event in Melbourne.

In China, Ms Allan proudly announced her pet project back home, the Suburban Rail Loop (SRL), had ordered four more tunnel boring machines from a Chinese manufacturer whose machines have also been digging in Sichuan.

But it is unlikely the Victorian government would have enjoyed the cost comparison between the Chengdu SRL and Melbourne’s rail project.

The 40-kilometre section of the Chinese rail project is being built for $US1.2 billion ($AUD1.8 billion) in under four years.

Meanwhile, the first stage of Melbourne’s SRL is estimated to cost $34.5 billion for 26 kilometres of twin tunnels, and is projected to be operational by 2035 — 13 years of construction. That price tag includes new stations, fit out and trains. China’s $1.8bn is just the line construction but it’s still remarkably cheaper.

“It tells us we have so much that we can learn,” Ms Allan told reporters.

Aside from the tunnel photo opportunity, the premier’s week in China revealed some of state’s strategic ambitions with its largest trading partner.

A week of high-level networking

Throughout the week-long trip Ms Allan met with province governors and China’s national education minister.

It is important access and a sign of respect which will help businesses and government strike future deals.

Much of the operation was about facilitating trade opportunities, and the state has a series of trade officers throughout China with full-time staff working to get Victorian products and businesses into China’s vast market.

The China strategy Ms Allan launched on Monday night does not have a lot of concrete policy outcomes but it set the tone for ongoing trade talks.

Where it does make explicit its ambitions is to increase Chinese students numbers in Victoria — a challenge given the federal government’s student cap.

But experts say fixing Victoria’s problems are more pressing.

Swinburne University China expert John Fitzgerald told The Australian newspaper that reducing Victoria’s rising crime rate would help boost Melbourne’s credentials as a destination.

“Victoria has quality [education] providers, but the state’s falling reputation for personal safety and security of property is under close critical scrutiny in Chinese-language media, much as it is in mainstream media,” he told the newspaper.

“Any Victorian government planning to sell Victoria as the education state will have to deal first with its growing reputation as the crime state. The answer to that lies at home, not touring China.”

Tackling that problem will also help her ambitions to double Chinese tourism to Victoria over the next five years.

The government is throwing plenty of promotional cash at the plan and has recruited popular local social media influencers.

Wu Chun, a Bruneian singer who attended a Visit Victoria event and took a photo with the Ms Allan, declared himself “Mr Melbourne” to his nearly 13 million followers.

Allan pursues China amid complexity

Making Melbourne attractive in advertising is one thing, but making it attractive in reality is another.

The week-long mission was full of positive news, and was a great opportunity for Ms Allan and a small caucus of backbenchers to take selfies and photos to show off to Chinese Victorian constituents.

Voters struggling with cost-of-living and crime fears are unlikely to be thrilled with the pictures or the price tag.

A trip for Allan, her staff and a team of government officials would have cost taxpayers ten of thousands of dollars. The ABC and other travelling media paid their own way.

There are also outstanding questions about whether Ms Allan’s affinity with China will mean voters continue to associate her with the former premier Daniel Andrews, whose legacy has damaged by his recent trip to the superpower.

Mr Andrews was always supportive of China, and his relationship and status has clearly been valued in Beijing, given he was invited to President Xi Jinping’s big parade earlier this month.

Mr Andrew’s foray back into the spotlight was problematic for Australia’s foreign policy, which walks a narrow path between economic co-operation and security concerns.

Ms Allan won’t comment on foreign policy, because that’s Canberra’s job, but by visiting China she is stepping into a very complex relationship.

One that she believes, and hopes, will continue to be good for the state.