First it was G'day USA. Now it's G'day China.

Fresh from her first official meeting with China's new president Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Julia Gillard will tell business chiefs in Shanghai on Monday of a major tourism push in late 2014.

A record 625,000 Chinese visited Australia during 2012, up 16 per cent on the previous year.

But Ms Gillard wants to boost that number through a high-profile series of events featuring contemporary performing and visual arts electric motor dc, a gala dinner in Shanghai and meetings with potential Chinese investors.

It will coincide with Tourism Australia's Greater China Travel Mission, which attracts more than 120 Australian tourism operators.

The prime minister, who is accompanied by ministers Bob Carr, Bill Shorten and Craig Emerson on Australia's largest political delegation to the Asian giant, will also announce a new currency deal.

The Australian dollar will be directly convertible into Chinese yuan, easing costs for mining companies and other global industries.

China only has deals of a similar kind with the United States and Japan ip networking.

The announcements come a day after President Xi told Ms Gillard in their meeting he wanted to take the China-Australia relationship to a new level.

He also told the prime minister, who invited him to visit Down Under, that he wanted to come to Tasmania - the only Australian state he has not been to in his previous political roles.

As the prime minister met with President Xi, her partner Tim Mathieson met with China's new first lady, Peng Liyuan.

Madame Peng is passionate about cutting down on cigarette smoking rates, which have been estimated at one in three Chinese people.

Mr Mathieson Hong Kong Shenzhen Tour, a men's health advocate, told the first lady about Australia's policy of plain packaging of cigarettes among other policies.

While Australian and Chinese business chiefs agreed on a new annual forum, Ms Gillard talked down the immediate prospects of annual leader-level talks saying it was too early in China's leadership transition.

Gillard says G'day China in tourism push

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