This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Gov. Gary Herbert is casting an eye toward China.
The Utah governor plans to lead a trade mission to Beijing and Shanghai in mid-April, and he wants business owners to go along.
"Over 2009-2010, Utah's exports to China grew 27 percent," Brett Heimburger, regional director for Asia at the Governor's Office of Economic Development, said in a statement. "Creating markets for Utah's goods and services abroad means more high-paying jobs for Utahns here at home."
Last year, $10.3 billion worth of goods that were sold worldwide supported 50,000 export-related jobs in the state, he said.
The trade mission will focus on matching Utah businesses with counterparts in China, said Lew Cramer, president of the World Trade Center of Utah.
"There also will be the chance for our business leaders to meet with high-level government officials in China, and because that country has a very top-down leadership structure, such contacts can be invaluable for companies that want to do business there," he said.
China is one of the fastest-growing destinations for Utah exports. Last year, $1.8 billion worth of Utah goods made their way to that Asian country, making it the state's second-largest trading partner (behind the United Kingdom), according to the Governor's Office of Economic Development.
In his recent State of the State address, Herbert noted that Utah's export growth was the strongest in the nation, and he challenged Utah's business leaders to double the state's exports in the next five years.
The state is hoping to have at least 20 companies represented on the trade mission, which is set from April 11-15, although individual arrival and departure dates can be coordinated through GOED's International Trade Office.
Want to go to China with Gov. Herbert?
Utah business owners interested in joining the trade mission can get more information by contacting Kit Burton of the Governor's Office of Economic Development at 801-538-8737.