Legislators Travel to China to Establish Trade Opportunities and Agricultural Business Networks

For Immediate Release
September 14, 2005
Contact Veronique Cavaillier
Phone: 212-482-2320
E-mail: vcavaillier@csg.org

September 14, 2005 – Three key legislators from the Northeast region will be visiting China from September 17 -24 to strengthen trade ties between New York and to promote Northeast agricultural exports to China. Assemblyman Darrel Aubertine (NY), Representative Arthur Hershey (PA), and Representative Nancy Smith (ME) will be traveling with a delegation from the Northeast States Association for Agricultural Stewardship (NSAAS) and the Eastern Trade Council (ETC), both affiliate organizations of the Council of State Governments Eastern Regional Conference (CSG/ERC).

“China continues to stand out as a major trading partner for New York and the Northeast,” said Assemblyman Aubertine, a member of the Assembly Committee on Agriculture as well as the Committee on Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry. New York exports to China in 2004 were $1,877,184,116 as compared to $1,445,174,270 in 2003. “I look forward to discussions with public and private sector representatives about continued economic development opportunities in both countries.”

Agriculture is one of the few sectors where the U.S. has a trade surplus with China. China hopes to boost its dairy industry over the next 10 to 15 years, thanks to the growing consumption of milk and other dairy products. Milk consumption is increasing by 15-18% annually (37% in 2003). In 2004, China’s purchases of dairy products amongst other agricultural products set records.

The trip includes stops in Beijing and the city of Tongliao in Inner Mongolia where the legislators will meet with government representatives, officials at Chinese state owned enterprises, and private sector enterprises involved in dairy farming.

“I hope to invite individuals from China important to our mission to visit farms in the U.S., and show them our best stuff including cheese making and crossbreeding systems for beef cattle. Such partnerships will help strengthen Maine-based businesses,” said Representative Nancy Smith, House chair of the Business, Research & Economic Development Committee.

Since 1990, U.S. exports to China have grown almost 12 percent annually. Since joining the WTO, American exports have accelerated substantially. In fact, China was one of the region’s top growth markets in 2004, second only to India. Total Northeast exports to China for FY'04 were $4,734,756,863 which represents a 33.85% increase in exports from 2003.

“There are numerous small and medium sized Pennsylvania companies poised to benefit from increased trade with China," said Representative Hershey "This trip will allow us to establish a network and presence that will be good for the Pennsylvania economy as we increase foreign trade."

The legislators will meet with Dr. Huo Guicheng, Director of the National Dairy Research Institute; Mr. Shen Zhenzhao, Division Chief of the Animal Husbandry Division at the Chinese Department of Agriculture; and Mr. Zhang Qingzong, Chairman of the Tongliao Economic Zone. Stops will include a site visit to the Tongliao Economic Development Zone and several dairy related industrial sites.

The Eastern Trade Council seeks to strengthen state and regional economic competitiveness in the global marketplace by sharing trade development information, jointly promoting regional products, and collectively advocating for federal trade promotion programs and policies which will benefit the region. Its board is comprised of the ten state trade directors from the northeast region. The ETC is supported by annual appropriations from its 11 member jurisdictions, including the states from Maine to Delaware and Puerto Rico. Together, they make up the fifth largest economy in the world.

This is the second ETC led trade mission to China which signifies the commitment of the northeast’s state trade directors to opening the Northeast market to Asia. This is a pioneering step since China has traditionally had closer ties to the West Coast states. The ETC office is staffed by Jeffrey Qi and David Lin of Oriamer LLC, a Delaware based company.