Shanghai showcase helps build cultural connections

With this year's Australian Football League (AFL) China Game rapidly approaching, Keith Thomas, CEO of Port Adelaide Football Club, is confident the sport can help promote exchanges and understanding between Australia and China.

"It is a great vehicle for us to talk about Australia in China," Thomas said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

The AFL is the top-flight professional competition of Australian rules football. Port Adelaide, with its history of nearly 150 years, will play in Shanghai for the third straight year on June 2, battling St Kilda at Jiangwan Stadium.

"Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull endorsed the idea that we should play Australian football in China on his trip to Beijing in 2016. That was a high endorsement for the idea," Thomas said.

"We had 6,000 Australians travel to the game in Shanghai last year. The overwhelming feedback we received was that the experience really impressed them. Shanghai was so advanced, so exciting and dynamic. So it said to us that the typical Australian view of China is largely outdated.

"The fans who made the trip said they wouldn't necessarily have chosen China as a tourist destination had it not been for the game. But having gone, they would go again. That was very positive."

In conjunction with the China Game, a Festival of Australia will be held in 10 Chinese cities between May 20 and June 2, showcasing Australian food, wine, innovation, education, investment, culture, tourism and sport.

"We represent a sport that is Australia's favorite game ... it sits at the heart of our culture," Thomas said.

"Rugby, if you think about the game, players are coming straight towards each other all the time. Your opponent is always right in front of you," he said.

"In soccer, you have the offside rule, so you're always in control. But in Australian football, none of those rules exist. It's fast, and the ball can move anywhere. That's what makes it exciting to watch and difficult to play, because the athletic requirement is so much greater than most other sports."

Ultimately, sport is a way for nations to come together, he added.

The trade bond between China and Australia is tight, with China being Australia's No 1 trading partner. Tourism is booming as well. China was Australia's biggest source of tourists with more than 1.4 million people visiting the country in the 12 months to September 2018, contributing 11.5 billion Australian dollars (about $8.08 billion) to the economy.

"If we could find a way to use our sport and our club to improve relations between Australia and China, maybe that would help us do business together more effectively," Thomas said.

Xinhua