Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, in China for a two-day visit, was present at a televised signing ceremony as the Power signed a multi-million dollar partnership agreement with Chinese company Shanghai Cred Real Estate - and a memorandum of understanding on taking a match to Australia's largest trading partner in 2017.

Mr Turnbull boldly declared Australian Rules football the most exciting football code in the country during the ceremony in China's financial capital, Shanghai.

Also attending was AFL boss Gillon McLachlan, although Port Adelaide president David Koch was conspicuously absent - his plane grounded on the tarmac in Hong Kong en route to the historic event.

The deal signals a major push by the AFL into the massive Chinese market.

"This will further develop the AFL code in China by supporting school programs and the Chinese national team," Mr Turnbull said.

But it was Mr Turnbull's declaration of AFL, that will have raised eyebrows in his native NSW especially and in Queensland, the two states where the election will be largely won or lost.

"I think as we all know, and I say this as a former mediocre rugby player, AFL is the most exciting football code."

Port Adelaide said it would not sacrifice a home game at the Adelaide Oval to play offshore.

There has been no announcement as to which team Port will play in China.

Mr Turnbull witnessed a signing of a three-year commercial sponsorship of Port Adelaide by Shanghai CRED, which holds agricultural investments in Western Australia, and is a joint bidder with Shanghai Pengxin for the massive Kidman estate. Their bid was knocked back last year on national security grounds, but Mr Gui said he remained "confident" of being successful with a re-issued bid.

"This has nothing to do with that, this is separate," Gui Guojie, general manager of Shanghai CRED, said.