One photo on the red carpet with Xi Jinping could be more lucrative for Daniel Andrews’ business interests in China than all his years as Victorian premier.
Andrews was photographed shaking the Chinese president’s hand as he arrived for the military parade in Beijing today, and joined a group photo of country leaders at the event, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Blackmores chief executive Christine Holgate made it her mission to get a photo with the Chinese president way back in 2014, and saw the value of the vitamins business in China skyrocket from $1 million to $500 million by 2016.
As my colleague Cara Waters reported in 2019, such was the enthusiasm for the snap, local retailers in China had put up photos of Holgate with Xi to flog the brand.
While Blackmores is out on the open market, Andrews has been operating in the shadows since resigning as premier in 2023.
Former Victorian premier Dan Andrews (top right), posing behind Kim Jong-un, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin before the parade.Credit: Sergei Bobylev/POOL/TASS/Sipa USA
The 53-year-old has set up two companies – Glencairn Street Pty Ltd and Wedgetail Partners Pty Ltd – to lure foreign investment into Victoria.
The only other director of Wedgetail Partners Pty Ltd is Marty Mei, Andrews’ former multicultural adviser.
Mei and Andrews go way back. He was instrumental in landing a $100,000 donation to the Labor Party from the Hunan Business Association in 2014.
Mei then went on to become an adviser to Andrews’ on Beijing’s Belt and Road deal.
Andrews signed Victoria up to the $1.5 trillion infrastructure program without consulting the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs. (It was torn up by the federal government in 2021 as relations with Beijing plummeted to historic lows.)
Neither Wedgetail nor Glencairn Street has a website or contact number. Who needs them when a photo with Xi will open enough doors for Andrews in Beijing.
