Day 7
BEIJING, China – Lt. Governor Becky Skillman and the agriculture trade delegation she is leading completed their last full day of meetings in China today, with several more business opportunities.
The day began with a visit to China Agricultural University (CAU), which houses nearly 16,000 undergraduates and 5,400 graduate students in Beijing. Purdue University, which is represented on the current trade delegation, has an ongoing partnership with CAU. A visit to CAU by Purdue President France Cordova in May led to deals for future research collaborations, student and faculty exchanges, and study-abroad opportunities.
The group then visited Syngenta Biotechnology Company, a cutting edge company that has 25,000 employees in 90 countries working on food, feed, fuel, and fiber solutions for the world. Lt. Governor Skillman also met with officials from Wise Harmon International Agriculture Development, a high-tech enterprise with strong ties to Purdue University.
“Coming into this mission, I knew there would be many opportunities, but this has exceeded my expectations,” Lt. Governor Skillman said. “There is so much room for growth, and I believe Indiana and China will have a strong relationship that will continue to pay economic dividends.”
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 7 Photo
Day 7 Blog Post
June 9, 2010: Our mission here in China is winding down, with just one more meeting tomorrow morning before we head back to Indiana. We had another productive day of meetings and events with groups like China Agriculture University (CAU) and Wise-Harmon, a Chinese agriculture company started by Purdue professor Bud Harmon.
But the best China-related news of the day came from back home. In Marion, Ind., Chinese furniture maker Y.K. Furniture announced the location for their U.S. headquarters, investing $24 million and hiring 100 workers beginning in October.
Y.K. Furniture executives first met with Governor Daniels and Marion Mayor Wayne Seybold on the governor’s Asian trade mission last fall. Nine months later, the relationship that started that day matured into a major win for Grant County and all of Indiana.
The partnerships between Indiana and China have come fast and furious in the last several weeks. Two weeks ago, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation opened its first satellite office in Zhejiang. Days later, I had the pleasure of announcing Indiana’s Sagamore Institute is partnering with Pacific World Trade to give Indiana mayors a full-time staff member to help them recruit investment from China. We’ve also seen the U.S.-China Advanced Technology Vehicle Summit in Indianapolis, and an agreement between Indiana’s EnerDel and Wanxiang, the largest auto parts producer in China. These are the fruits of our administration’s efforts to draw business from all corners of the globe to Indiana.
I’ve been asked if doing business with China is a good idea. After all, this is a communist country that is clearly a world power. I was reminded of that today, when we met with Chairman Qu of CAU. Chairman Qu is a direct appointee of the Communist Party, but despite our differing views, we’ve found common ground on the importance of agriculture to our respective countries.
China will continue to grow. It will continue importing American goods. It will continue opening offices like Y.K. Furniture in the U.S. And it will do all of this with or without Indiana.
The governor and I, however, have made a conscious decision to do all we can to ensure Hoosiers benefit from economic growth around the world, and that includes China.
I’ve enjoyed keeping you updated on this trade mission and look forward to sharing success stories down the road.
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