As Xi Jinping tries to shoot China into the ranks of world football superpowers, Malcolm Turnbull on Thursday began his first visit to the country as Australian prime minister with a spot of “footy diplomacy” of a different variety.
Australian rules football “is the most exciting football code”, said Mr Turnbull as he unveiled plans for an AFL premiership match to be played in China. “An enormous field, extraordinary athleticism — it is the leaping, jumping flying game, where the big men fly.”
AFL, or “footy”, is a fast and at times brutal sport, which Canberra is keen to export to China as part of a push to build cultural links with its biggest trading partner. Analysts say Mr Turnbull will need the agility of a footy player on his trip to China, where he must balance economic objectives with calls from the US for Canberra to take a tougher stance on Beijing’s activities in the South China Sea.