What does one give to China’s visiting head of state as a keepsake to mark the occasion? Angela Merkel went with an old map that had a less-than-politically correct interpretation of China’s borders. Vladimir Putin presented an example of Russia’s cutting-edge consumer technology. Nahendra Modi handed over a bound copy of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu text, in Chinese.
Alighting from his flight to Hobart, the capital of the Australian state of Tasmania, schoolchildren presented President Xi Jinping with a lavender stuffed teddy bear (at 48 seconds). Mr. Xi didn’t appear surprised or puzzled by why he was bring presented with potpourri. Then again, Bobbie Bear is a minor celebrity in China, and has done more than anyone to put Tasmania on the map for Chinese tourists.
Mr. Xi didn’t get to visit Bridestowe Lavender Estate which produces the bears – and where he would have been limited to buying one bear only, a measure taken by the farm’s management late last year to ensure sufficient supply to satisfy the busloads of Chinese tourists. Factories in China have produced knock-offs in numbers that far exceed the farm’s own production capacity, says owner Robert Ravens, which means a visit to Tasmania is the only way to be sure the bear you buy is real.
For Tasmania, Bridestowe holds potential of what China – hungry for clean and healthy produce, and with tourists increasingly willing to travel off the beaten track – can do for a struggling economy.
On Monday, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced at a dinner for the Chinese first couple at Parliament House that Bridestowe Lavender Estate had won the inaugural Australia-China Achievement Award for entrepreneurship. The award went to the farm for its “pro-active and innovative market entry into China and promoting Tasmania as a destination for Chinese tourists.”
Mr. Xi and his wife’s taking custody of Bobbie rounds out a busy schedule of cuddling as many Australian marsupials as possible. And while Bobbie might not have the same novelty value as Australia’s menu of unique fauna, it’s likely the only one the first couple will be taking home with them.
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