Day 5
BEIJING, China – After a day of rest and travel from Hangzhou to Beijing, the Hoosier delegation began an aggressive agenda in the Chinese capitol city by visiting potential business partners. Lt. Governor Skillman also met with Assistant Minister of Commerce Wang Chao.
The delegation split into industry groups to meet Chinese agriculture leaders and tour state of the art facilities.
“There is no shortage of handshakes and business cards being exchanged, and that’s exactly what we hoped for,” Lt. Governor Skillman said. “The relationships that were built today will pay off for Hoosiers for years to come.”
Lt. Governor Skillman and members of the delegation dealing in grains met with the U.S. Grain Council, American Soybean Association, and Sino Grain. Meat and livestock delegates the Chinese Animal Agriculture Association and Beijing Yufeng International Trade Company.
Lt. Governor Skillman also discussed with Chao the new joint venture between Indianapolis battery maker EnerDel and Wanxiang Group, a Chinese auto-parts maker in Hangzhou. Chao, who was in Indianapolis at the end of last month for the first US-China Advanced Technology Vehicle Summit, visited the Lt. Governor before she left for China.
This is Lt. Governor Skillman’s fourth international trade mission since assuming office in 2005. Her trips to Central America in 2005, Taiwan and Vietnam in 2006, and Mexico in 2008 led to business deals for multiple agriculture industries. This mission has been paid for entirely through private donations.
Day 5 Photo
Day 5 Blog Post
June 7, 2010: Today business cards were exchanged left and right, and new relationships were established. This is what we hoped for, and I know the connections that were built today will pay off for Hoosiers for years to come.
My meeting with Assistant Minister of Commerce Wang Chao, before I left for China a couple weeks ago, is beginning to pay-off. Several days after we met, he requested a meeting for today and also invited the entire delegation for dinner. The local Indiana Economic Development Corporation staff in China was ecstatic because it is almost unheard of for a federal official to acknowledge a state delegation.
Mr. Chao and I talked about the new joint venture between Indianapolis battery maker EnerDel and Wanxiang Group, a Chinese auto-parts maker in Hangzhou. Chao was in Indianapolis recently for the first US-China Advanced Technology Vehicle Summit.
Indiana is leading the way in the research, development, and manufacturing of next-generation batteries and electric cars. Most exciting are the number of start up companies in Indiana (Delco Remy, Delphi, Bright Automotive, EnerDel, THINK Global and Carbon Motors) that will provide the technology for the energy efficient vehicles of tomorrow. We also continue to excel in the traditional auto industry with 2,330 new auto manufacturing jobs committed to our state last year.
Mr. Chao and I finished our meeting talking about his recent experience at the Indianapolis 500. Many of you know my passion for cars and motorsports, so today’s discussion was thrilling in many ways. It is no coincidence that Indiana is home to the Greatest Speculate in Racing and also the backbone of the auto industry.
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