Tas premier leads delegation to China

Antarctic affairs will be on the agenda when Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman heads an eight-day government and business delegation to China.

The trip on Thursday, comes after President Xi Jinping's visit to the island state in November and aims to build on new trade and investment opportunities.

"We will follow up on the 10 (agreements) we signed last year, which strengthened our economic and cultural ties with China, now our largest trading partner and one of the fastest growing economies in the world," Mr Hodgman said.

The group of more than 20 public and private enterprise representatives from across Tasmania will visit numerous cities in China, to host forums promoting key sectors including agriculture, aquaculture, education, energy, forestry, manufacturing, mining and tourism.

"We will meet with senior members and officials from the Chinese Government to enhance inter-governmental relations, including in Antarctic affairs," the premier said.