GOLD Coast chairman Tony Cochrane has denied the negatives of playing in China have begun to outweigh the positives ahead of the historic clash in Shanghai against Port Adelaide on Sunday.

Suns coach Rodney Eade said on Monday that pollution concerns and travel logistics were worries for his side, but Cochrane said the experienced mentor was aware of the advantages the club and the Gold Coast region could reap from being involved in such a significant occasion.

Cochrane told SEN the club's management and the football department were on the same page on the trailblazing encounter.

"(Rodney) is a football coach, not a travel agent," Cochrane said.

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"Maybe in a media conference he sees (the negatives). I can tell you I've spoken him a lot about it and he's also very positive about (the game), Cochrane said.

"He sees the great opportunity it presents for our young club."

Cochrane said it was a massive opportunity for the Suns to help the Gold Coast region cash in on being the fastest-growing Chinese tourism destination in Australian.

"From our point of view, there's a very, very clear connection between our young club and trying to build a base in our community up here, and in our community there is nothing more important than tourism," he said.

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"Anything we can do to try and connect with our community is really, really important in what is a strong rugby league territory.

"Rodney knew that when he came to our club, he's known that from the first day he arrived through the doors and he still knows it today."

Cochrane said the club was interested in playing in China again in the future, but would wait to see how the inaugural clash played out.

Quizzed on Eade's tenure as coach, Cochrane was non-committal on whether the club would extend 59-year-old's three-year deal, which expires at the end of this season.

"He's done an exceptional job around the club," he said.

"The one thing I'm proudest about with 'Rocket' is he's really helped change our culture, and we're slowly but surely developing a pretty hard edge about the way we go about business on the footy field.

"Rocket has certainly played a magnificent part in that, and we're in great shape."