Bredesen reports in from China

Governor gives update on trade mission, signed MOUs

Email | Print By Ken Whitehouse

Gov. Phil Bredesen and economic and community development commissioner Matt Kisber checked in this morning from China, where they and about 30 government and business leaders from across the state are on a 10-day trade mission that will conclude later this week.

The trade mission arrived in Hong Kong today having already been to the Chinese cities of Beijing, Xi’an and Hangzhou. Bredesen stated that the trip has been informative and successful in helping showcase Tennessee business opportunities to Chinese government and business officials. Among the major industry sectors showcased have been health care, solar and renewable energy and distribution.

The conversations on renewable energy were very productive, according to Bredesen, who said he was confident something would arise from those discussions. He added that one factory he and Kisber visited has more than 400,000 square feet of research space dedicated to solar and renewable energy.

In two of the provinces the delegation visited – both are larger than the state of California – the delegation spent a lot of time introducing Chinese economic leaders to Tennessee through presentations and then having "nuts and bolts" discussions, according to Bredesen.

The governor felt confident that he was "filling the pipeline with a lot of business opportunities for [his] successor."

He gave some additional advice to whomever that will be, stating that, "We have found that government officials being present is heightened in China as opposed to other countries."

Bredesen also invoked current U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, who as governor led trade missions to Japan that sparked Tennessee's auto industry.

In addition to discussions with business leaders about opening facilities in Tennessee, state officials signed two memorandums of understanding that call for greater trade cooperation with Chinese provincial governors.

Both Kisber and Bredesen said that they encouraged Chinese officials to embark on trade delegations to Tennessee, much like the one planned for next year by Japanese officials.

In 2010, the SEUS Japan conference will be held in Nashville. That organization is a Southeastern United States/Japanese trade organization.

To read about the trip from the perspective of one Tennessee businessman, check out Tower Investments Alex Marks' travel blog on NashvillePost.com's Post Business site.