A fan of Dan Andrews mocked the media for trying to hold him accountable for his secret trip to China.
The Victorian Premier is in Beijing attending a number of meetings with Communist Party officials.
But there was an uproar at home over the fact that he had refused to allow any Australian journalist to accompany him, despite being the first Australian leader to visit since the coronavirus epidemic began in Wuhan and punitive duties were imposed on our goods.
Citurian Prime Minister Dan Andrews at Melbourne Airport before flying to China – without any Australian journalist to account
One superhero fan, who calls herself “Dan Van Girl,” jumped to his defense and mocked the “ridiculous” media attention to the story.
Last night, criticism focused on the ambiguous six-line itinerary from his daily meetings with Chinese politicians, with some suggesting it was a ruse to “pretend the trip is boring and unimportant”.
Now, the tragic Dan Andrews has jumped to his defense, claiming that “the way the media is acting about this is hilarious.”
“Did they want to know what time he goes to the toilet, showers, eats, calls his family, and takes selfies with his ‘mutual mates’?” they wrote.
This Twitter user, who goes by the name “Dan Fan Girl” and claims “Dan is my idol,” describes herself as Musician and hospital worker.
She regularly posts in support of the embattled prime minister on Twitter and on her TikTok page where she has uploaded dozens of videos praising Mr Andrews.
In response to a news report mentioning comments Mr Andrews had made regarding China’s “influence” on Victoria, she sarcastically suggested that “The secret Chinese influence is that Dan cooks very good Chinese food.”
Daily Mail Australia has attempted to contact “Dan Fan Girl” for comment.
China’s state-owned television station aired a 2017 interview with the Victorian premier on Monday evening in which he praised the country’s relationship with China.
Daniel Andrews (pictured in Tiananmen Square in 2015) didn’t invite any Australian media on his trip to Beijing this week
The account appears to be one supportive voice in a sea of criticism over Mr Andrews’ visit to China.
‘He’ll have some elaboration when he comes back because he’ll look like he’s being manipulated,’ Michael Shoebridge of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute told 9News Melbourne.
Peter Greste, president and spokesperson of the Alliance for Freedom of Journalists, condemned the country’s leader’s decision to ban members of the press, saying it was “hardly appropriate in a democracy”.
Mr. Andrews came under further criticism for sharing an incredibly meager daily schedule.
The six-line leaflet, issued by the Victorian state government, lists a series of names of Chinese officials he is supposed to meet on Tuesday, but without details on what they will discuss.
The figures include Huai Jinping, the Chinese Communist Party’s education minister, and Dr. Yin Yong, the mayor of Beijing.
Laura Geiss, host of AM Agenda on Sky News Australia, suggested that the scant flight path was “trying its best to pretend this flight is boring and unimportant”.
Andrews will meet with Chinese Communist Party Education Minister Huai Jinping
“If this is the case, he should do it by zooming,” she wrote on Twitter.
“Will the media get a full read-and-record or every meeting?”
Gayce has previously described the Victorian premier’s ban on Australian reporters as “sneaky” and noted that he was “a middle finger to the central principle of democracy that I have served well”.
It comes after Chinese state-owned station Phoenix TV aired a news segment that included an interview with Mr Andrews praising Victoria’s relationship with China.
He said that “the Chinese story is very central to the Victorian story for more than 150 years”.
“You can’t imagine modern Victoria without Chinese influence.”
He added: “We are certainly very proud to have the best part of the 100,000 Chinese students here in Melbourne and across Victoria.
‘It makes us a more dynamic city; It is our largest export industry.
Daily Mail Australia revealed that the video was recorded in 2017.
Andrews is scheduled to visit Jiangsu and Sichuan provinces before returning to Melbourne on Saturday morning.
Laura Jayce, host of AM Agenda on Sky News Australia, has criticized Mr Andrews’ decision not to allow reporters on his four-day trip to China.
The list of officials the prime minister will meet was only released after widespread criticism from the likes of Australian media writer Nick Tabakov and 3AW presenter Neil Mitchell.
“It seems to be about Chairman Dan adopting the Chinese government’s culture of making as little as possible clear to the public.”
Tabakov referred to the famous shot of Dan Andrews talking on his mobile phone while standing in Tiananmen Square on a trip to Beijing in 2015.
“Part of the problem, from Andrews’ point of view, may be the images that mobile media can capture on such a visit,” he added.
Senior Daniel Andrews critic Neil Mitchell of 3AW claimed the move to disallow the media was “definitely a bad look” for the prime minister.
He then joked, “He’s been involved in many inquiries in Victoria, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he sought asylum there!”
Liberal MP Dan Tehan called on the prime minister to be more transparent about his itinerary in China.
I think he’s been to China more times than he’s been to Warrnambool.
“I am concerned that the only reports we will get out of it will be from China’s state-run media and I would really like to know the purpose of this visit,” Tehan told Sky News on Monday.
However, Andrews defended the decision not to make it to the media after revealing his plans on Sunday.
“We have a series of meetings back-to-back, and I don’t think I’ve ever taken the media on every trip I’ve ever taken,” he said.
There will be other trips this year to a lot of different parts of the world, probably. We still haven’t confirmed it. But you will be suitably invited to those.
‘We’ve made our choice. You can have an opinion on that. This is entirely your job.
The Victorian premier will attend a number of meetings with senior Chinese officials to discuss business, educational and cultural matters
Chinese President Xi Jinping is not expected to be on the itinerary for Mr Andrews’ visit
Andrews has been accused of being close to China’s dictatorial government after joining Beijing’s controversial Belt and Road Initiative.
The Morrison government used the newly created powers to tear up the agreement in April 2021 on grounds of national interest.
The large-scale Belt and Road project aims to boost infrastructure projects across the region and, in Victoria’s case, “increase the participation of Chinese infrastructure companies in Victoria’s infrastructure construction programme.”
However, it is criticized as a soft power by China for increasing its influence over developing countries, and inflicting debts that force them to meet Beijing’s requests.
Andrews said that China was Victoria’s largest and most important trading partner and that it was important to strengthen this relationship further.
“This is not my first trip to China and it won’t be my last,” he told reporters on Sunday.
“We think this is really important for Victorian jobs and export.”
Andrews said he had spoken to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who was very positive about the trip.
The Victorian premier has denied that the relationship between Canberra and Beijing has soured following the $368 billion AUKUS submarine deal.
“I’m not here to comment on the China-Australia relationship… I’m not here to talk about defence, strategic issues or foreign policy issues,” he said.
“My job, the job I’ve always done, is to make sure that more Victorian companies have access to the largest market in the world.”
It will be the prime minister’s seventh visit to China since the Labor government took office, with previous trips in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 and two visits in 2019.
