The South Australian premier hopes his state's fine wine and seafood will prove irresistible to Chinese officials deciding whether to ease tariffs on them.
Peter Malinauskas will lead a 40-strong business delegation to China on Thursday trying to speed up the gradual thawing of Sino-Australian relations.
The visit is the first by SA's leader to Australia's largest trading partner since 2019, before China imposed unilateral trade restrictions on Australian exports including barley, timber, lobsters and wine.
While tariffs on barley, timber and other goods have since been lifted, Mr Malinauskas says the continued restrictions on seafood and wine have caused South Australians to lose their livelihoods.
"Thousands of South Australians have had their standard of living, their incomes dramatically diminished because of the disengagement (with China)," he told reporters on Wednesday.
The premier's trip comes days after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced he would visit his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping before the end of the year.
Mr Malinauskas said he has been in touch with federal foreign minister Penny Wong and trade minister Don Farrell, both fellow South Australians, about how the state can play a part in the thaw.
As well as spruiking SA's world class wine and seafood, attracting international students to the state's universities will be high on the agenda.
Mr Malinauskas said he's not naive enough to think one visit will result in the tariffs being dropped, but believes he can help bring about gradual change.
"This is an opportunity to re-engage because we want to be there on the ground, establishing those relationships and actively encouraging China to reduce those punitive tariffs because they have a real impact on people's lives and the state's economy as a result," he said.
While business representatives tagging along will have to pay their own way, taxpayers will foot the travel bill for the premier and a handful of staff.
Mr Malinauskas said the government is "open-minded" to legislation introduced by One Nation MP Sarah Game that would require taxpayer-funded travel to be disclosed within 45 days, down from three months.
