Australian state signs historic arts exchange agreement with China

Victoria struck an historic five-year cultural exchange deal with China on Thursday, the first Australian state to sign an agreement of any kind with the Asian economic powerhouse.

Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews and China's Vice Cultural Minister Ding Wei announced the mega-deal, which will foster the sharing of arts programs between the regions.

"This will be a great exchange in terms of fine art, music, dance theater, but it's also a great opportunity for staff, and those who are employed within the dynamic and growing industries to be able to travel to and from China," Andrews said in comments published by Australian media on Thursday.

Victoria's arts industry is a linchpin of the state's economy, boasting a multi-million dollar revenue stream.

The latest government figures suggested the industry generates 1 billion U.S. dollar in exports, with a further 700 million U.S. dollars from tourism.

Andrews said the deal would provide creative arts workers more job opportunities in an already booming sector, which employs 220, 000 Victorians or 10 percent of the state's workforce.

"It's very exciting to think that the creative capital of Australia, Melbourne, is the only state to sign a cultural cooperation agreement with China. This is a very proud day," Andrews said.

Usually, states do not enter into agreements with nations but instead via sister-state arrangements.

Over the course of the first year of the deal, it has been proposed Melbourne could potentially host a Chinese film festival in exchange for the Australian Ballet and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) touring China.

"This is the right time to be signing a cultural agreement with China," MSO chairman Harold Mitchell said. "The state has so much to offer the world through its arts and cultural programming." Endi