From the AP, 10/5/05:

 

 

Ohio trade trip to lure China firms

Mission also to push exports

By Andrew Welsh-Huggins

The Associated Press

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio's lieutenant governor, the state's top economic development official, will lead a trade mission to China in December in hopes of boosting prospects for state exports and luring Chinese companies to invest here.  Lt. Gov. Bruce Johnson will visit three Chinese cities during the weeklong trip, the state's second major trade mission this fall. Gov. Bob Taft leaves for a trip to Europe next week.

 

Johnson, also state development director, will lead a small delegation of business, education and government officials to the cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Wuhan.  Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, Ohio's sister province in China. 

 

The goal is to find fast-growing Chinese companies interested in expanding to Ohio and to find export opportunities for Ohio companies, Johnson said.  Johnson said the model is the state's successful relationship with Japan, which includes three Honda plants, other smaller companies and markets for Ohio products.  China's booming economy and the country's increasing power in the marketplace makes such outreach critical, Johnson said.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051005/BIZ/510050311/1076/rss01

 

From Tuesday's Crain's Cleveland Business on the Web

 

Ohio exports to China grow

By BRANDON GLENN

8:31 am, November 22, 2005

 

Ohio’s exports to China grew by 50% last year, a far faster rate than the United States as a whole.  Ohio companies sent $964 million of goods to China last year, up from $644 million in the previous year, according to data from the Department of Commerce.

 

“It’s just having the right products for what China is requiring,” said Richard DeKaser, chief economist for National City Corp.  China is continuing to expand its industrial manufacturing capacity, and many Ohio companies supply the goods the country needs to do that, he said.

From the 11/30/05 Business First of Columbus:

 

 

Ohio plans China trade mission

 

Ohio's lieutenant governor will lead a trade mission to China from Dec. 2 through Dec. 10.  Thirteen Ohio companies and organizations will accompany Lt. Gov. Bruce Johnson, who also heads the Ohio Department of Development.  The trip is intended to promote Ohio products to Chinese companies, encourage Chinese firms to invest in Ohio and help the state's firms do business in China.

 

MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2005/11/28/daily18.html?from_rss=1

 

Ohio Business Development Trip to China

Led by Lt. Governor Bruce Johnson

Participants

December 2 – 10, 2005

 

Companies and Organizations

 

1. Ashland, Inc.

Columbus

Franklin County

 

2. CAMP, Inc.

Cleveland

Cuyahoga County

 

3. City of Akron

Akron

Summit County

 

4. Fredon Corporation

Mentor

Lake County

 

5. Ohio Corn Growers Association

Marion

Marion County

 

6. Ohio Soybean Council

Columbus

Franklin County

 

7. Ohio University

Athens

Athens County

 

8. OMERIS

Columbus

Franklin County

 

9. The Procter & Gamble Company

Cincinnati

Hamilton County

 

10. Rexarc International, Inc.

West Alexandria

Preble County

 

11. Stirling Technology, Inc.

Athens

Athens County

 

12. Summit County

Akron

Summit County

 

13. Summitville Tiles, Inc.

Summitville

Columbiana County

 

http://www.odod.state.oh.us/newsroom/releases/1373.asp

 

During the past week, the Enquirer has run stories about Cincinnati USA's trip to China last month called The China Connection.  It's far too much to post here, but I'll post the main story and the links at the end.  The series began last Sunday, December 4:

 

 

PHOTO: Workers in Beijing stock shelves. Chinese workers on the whole make considerably less than their American counterparts.  Danny Gawlowski for The Enquirer

 

Ohio firms follow investing wave to China

Special report: The China Connection

By Cliff Peale

Enquirer staff writer

 

GUANGZHOU, China - Gary Ellerhorst of Crown Plastics is 8,000 miles from his company's plant back home, but already, he can see the connection.  So Ellerhorst is investigating a plant here that would help him sell globally. That makes him part of a business world that already is shifting - toward the People's Republic of China.

 

Here in the pollution-choked Pearl River Delta in southeastern China, where there are 200 million people and nearly 80,000 factories, American companies have set up shop in force, from giants such as Procter & Gamble Co. to companies smaller than Crown Plastics. They are expanding or buying materials in China because the cost of doing business is less than half that in the United States and there are 1.3 billion people to make, buy or use your product.

 

Last month, Ellerhorst and more than a dozen other Greater Cincinnati business owners visited China as part of an 11-day trade mission with the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce.  It was the first-ever trade mission for the local business group. The chamber hopes to prove that companies in Greater Cincinnati can do more than just find cheaper raw materials or production here, that they can build a China business that helps expand sales and payroll back home.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051204/BIZ01/312040010/-1/back01

 

'bout time the state got out there in the world and let'em know ohio is there! sheesh. more of this would be good. long as they don't run up crazy bills that is.

From the 12/12/05 Dayton Business Journal:

 

 

China trip fruitful for local business

Yvonne Teems

DBJ Staff Reporter

 

An ambassador for a local company returned from China Saturday with better knowledge of Chinese business culture, quelled fears and a deal that's almost in the bag.

 

Dan Telatko, vice president and chief operating officer of Rexarc International Inc., visited several Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, along with Ohio Lt. Gov. Bruce Johnson and 12 other representatives from Ohio companies and organizations last week.

 

While there, Telatko met in Hong Kong with Gas Advisers, a consulting firm that he has been talking with for the past six months. He sketched out an agreement with the company to have Gas Advisers do a market study for Rexarc and represent the company in China.

 

MORE: http://dayton.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/2005/12/12/daily6.html

 

From Business First of Columbus, 12/20/05:

 

 

Ohio touts China trade mission's success

 

Ohio's trade mission to China was cause for optimism, the Ohio Department of Development said Tuesday.  The department, led by Development Director Bruce Johnson, took 13 companies and organizations on a trade mission to China Dec. 2-10. It was intended to promote Ohio products there, and encourage Chinese companies to invest in Ohio.

 

The delegation met with representatives from China's Ministry of Commerce, the agency that promotes overseas investment by Chinese companies, and the National Certification and Accreditation Commission, which certifies foreign goods for sale in China. Johnson also renewed a sister-state agreement with the Chinese province of Hubei and signed an agreement to promote science and technology exchange between the two states.

 

China is Ohio's sixth-largest export market, according to the department, buying $962 million in Ohio exports in 2004.

 

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2005/12/19/daily10.html

 

From the 5/11/06 Enquirer:

 

 

Chinese diplomat to visit Cincinnati

Will meet with business leaders

BY CLIFF PEALE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

The Chinese Ambassador to the United States will visit Cincinnati Monday and Tuesday for meetings with local business leaders.

 

Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong's visit will have tight security and closed meetings.

 

He is to meet Monday with members of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce, then attend a luncheon with the trustees of that group and the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.

 

Later Monday, Zhou is to meet with Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory and on Tuesday is to visit GE Aviation's offices in Evendale.

 

The trip is the latest in a series of events to strengthen business ties between Greater Cincinnati and China. Zhou is to discuss investment by our region's firms in China but also potential for increased investment by the Chinese here.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060511/BIZ01/605110327/1076/rss01

 

From the 6/28/06 Youngstown Business Journal:

 

 

China Trade Delegation Meets in Ohio

Jun 28, 2006 10:32 a.m.

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- State Lt. Gov. Bruce Johnson welcomed delegates of the China Council for Promotion of International Trade to Ohio during an informational meeting yesterday in Columbus. He praised Ohio's existing business partnerships and investments with China and encouraged the development of new relationships.

 

"Ohio and China have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship for many years, and our state continues to be an ideal location for business growth and development," commented Johnson, who also serves as state development director. "In Ohio, we understand that to create jobs and prosperity for years to come we must effectively promote our strengths internationally. This includes building our ties with China, which is an important economic partner."

 

This is the second time Johnson has met with Chinese representatives to promote free and open trade since his business mission to the country in December 2005. Last month, Johnson and Gov. Bob Taft met with Chinese Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong to discuss opportunities to increase exports by Ohio companies.

 

In 2005, the People's Republic of China was Ohio's seventh largest export market, with exports to the country more than quadrupling since the late 1990's. Major Ohio exports to the PRC include machinery, automotive components, medical instruments and plastics. In 2005, Hong Kong was Ohio's 20th largest export market, with $260 million in exports of goods. Combined, exports to the PRC and Hong Kong would equal Ohio's fourth largest export market, behind Canada, Mexico and Japan. The Ohio Department of Development has operated an international trade office in Hong Kong since 1990.

 

http://www.business-journal.com/ChinaOhioMeet.asp

 

A press release from Wright State University, 10/11/06:

 

 

Ohio companies receive special invitation to conference in China on business opportunities for Americans

 

Wright State University’s positive relationship with the Shandong government in China is paying off.

 

Chinese leaders have invited Ohio companies to participate in a Nov. 17–19 business exhibition and conference in Shandong that is expected to attract 10,000 people.

 

The Wright State University Raj Soin College of Business established an MBA executive format program with Chinese leaders in 2004 to bring business executives from Shandong Province near Beijing to WSU. The third cohort of some 30 students from Shandong is now participating in this intensive 12-month program. Part of the program involves the Chinese students working with local companies interested in expanding their business in China.

 

The conference in China will include free translation services, free show booth space and special services to match Ohio companies with Shandong businesses.

 

“We are delighted that the successful relationship we have established with Shandong government and business leaders resulted in this special invitation to Ohio businesses to attend this conference,” said Berkwood Farmer, Ph.D., Raj Soin College of Business dean. “This is a marvelous opportunity for Miami Valley business leaders interested in expanding into China to learn more about what is involved in this process.”

 

Andrew Lai, Ph.D., coordinator of the WSU China MBA program, said Shandong province has the third largest economic base in China. Those attending the conference will include representatives from Shandong companies and government agencies. Such industries as manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, electronics, software and petrochemicals will be represented.

 

For more details on the Shandong event contact Lai at [email protected] or (937) 775-2895.

 

http://www.wright.edu/cgi-bin/cm/news.cgi?action=news_item&id=1256

 

From the 11/14/06 Dispatch:

 

 

SHANGHAI

Trade office in China will be Ohio’s eleventh

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Alan Johnson

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Ohio’s 11th international trade office, and first in China, will open in Shanghai, Gov. Bob Taft announced yesterday.  One of the fastest-growing markets in the world and the state’s seventh-largest trading partner, China will be a crucial base for Ohio exports and reverse investment, Taft said.

 

The office will cost about $200,000 annually to operate, half of which will be paid by the Ohio Soybean Council.  China is the largest buyer of Ohio soybeans.  Overall, Ohio exports to China rose to $934 million last year from $231 million in 1998, according to the Ohio Department of Development, Division of International Trade.

 

Lt. Gov. Bruce Johnson, who doubles as development director, led a business mission to China in December.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/11/14/20061114-C1-04.html

 

From the 11/19/06 Warren Tribune Chronicle:

 

 

Ryan: See China as export opportunity

By RAYMOND L. SMITH Tribune Chronicle

 

YOUNGSTOWN — The development of American relations with China will be the challenge of political and business leaders over the next two decades, U.S. Rep. Timothy J. Ryan said Friday at YSU.  The Niles Democrat spoke during a two-day campus seminar discussing foreign trade and the rise of China.

 

The event will continue today with a breakfast and open forum in the Humphrey Room of Kilcawley Center. The topic will be ‘‘Strategies for Improving the Extent and Quality of Asian Content in the American Undergraduate Curriculum.’’

 

Ryan told the crowd of about 70 business professionals, academics and politicians that local governments and businesses must begin looking outside of markets in which they are comfortable if they want new opportunities for growth. This would help to change the image of the region, he said.

 

MORE: http://tribune-chronicle.com/articles.asp?articleID=11333

 

From the 12/2/06 ABJ:

 

 

Chinese delegation will visit Cleveland

 

A Chinese delegation seeking investment opportunities in the United States is making just three stops -- and one is in Cleveland.

 

The visit next week by more than 30 government officials and representatives of Chinese companies is being coordinated by World Trade Center Cleveland, which worked for three years to raise Ohio's visibility in China.

 

Opportunities being touted include investment, strategic alliances and sales relationships with various Ohio companies.

 

Among the industries represented by the Chinese are power, electrical appliances, machinery and equipment, and auto parts. The group is also stopping in Seattle and Washington, D.C.

 

World Trade Center Cleveland, with the help of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, MAGNET and Team NEO, will present "Invest in Ohio,'' a two-day program for the delegation, which begins Monday.

 

The welcoming committee includes representatives from Sherwin-Williams Co., Cleveland Clinic, Eaton Corp., Charter One Bank, the Cuyahoga County commissioners, KeyCorp, Forest City Enterprises, Invacare Corp., Squire, Sanders and Dempsey, Cleveland Foundation and the Greater Cleveland Partnership.

 

...

 

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/business/16147881.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_business

 

Good to see that. Interesting that the ABJ had the story and not the PD. Guess the news was just too positive about Cleveland!

Good to see that. Interesting that the ABJ had the story and not the PD. Guess the news was just too positive about Cleveland!

 

And I thought it was just the Enquirer that hated Cincinnati.  Cleveland's major daily bites the hand that feeds it as well?

From the 12/11/06 ABJ:

 

 

China looking to invest in Ohio

Delegation informed about opportunities in Akron-Cleveland

By Marilyn Miller

Beacon Journal business writer

 

Northeast Ohio welcomed a delegation of Chinese officials and investors as executives and economic development leaders encouraged them to bring business to the region.  The 51-member group from China spent several days in the Akron-Cleveland area listening to the pitches of Ohio leaders and touring manufacturing sites looking for investment opportunities.  The bottom line: China is expanding its economy and Ohio needs jobs.

 

MORE: http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/business/16202033.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_business

---

WHY DO THEY COME HERE?

 

A look at what Ohio offers Chinese businesses looking to expand and invest in the United States:

 

Ohio is within 600 miles of:

 

• 80 percent of U.S. corporate headquarters

• 70 percent of North America manufacturers

• 63 percent of U.S. manufacturers

• 61 percent of the U.S. population

• 50 percent of the Canadian population

 

Source: Ohio Business Development Coalition

 

Ohio is ranked fifth in the nation as the home of Fortune 500 companies, which are:

 

• Procter & Gamble of Cincinnati, the largest U.S. maker of household products

• Cardinal Health of Dublin, the second ranked U.S. distributor of pharmaceuticals

• Kroger Co. of Cincinnati, the top ranked grocery chain in the nation

• Nationwide Insurance of Columbus, a leading U.S. property and casualty insurer

• Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. of Akron, one of the world's largest tire companies

• Timken Co. of Canton, a leading global manufacturer of highly engineered bearings, alloy steels and related products

 

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/business/16201961.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_business

 

From the 12/15/06 PD:

 

 

Checking out Cleveland

Friday, December 15, 2006

Peter Krouse

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

If the Chinese didn't know much about Northeast Ohio before last week, they do now.  They know Cleveland is home to a world-class art museum.  And to top-flight theater.  They know that LeBron James plays basketball here - OK, maybe they already knew that - and that the city has a monument to rock 'n' roll.

 

They know that medical care in this town is second to none.  After all, home base for a Chinese delegation that came through town last week was the Cleveland Clinic's InterContinental Hotel & Conference Center.

 

They even know about the Amish.  It seems the delegation leaders knew about the Amish community in Pennsylvania that forgave a man who killed several of its children, and they were intrigued.  So a tour was arranged, and the leaders witnessed a cheese-making operation and other aspects of Amish life in Geauga County.

 

But perhaps most important of all, the Chinese now know that Northeast Ohio - and all of Ohio, for that matter - is open for business.

 

MORE: http://www.cleveland.com/business/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/business/116617582772570.xml&coll=2

 

From the 1/4/07 Athens News:

 

 

OU student group aims to export whiskey, other U.S. goods to China

By Fang Cheng

Athens NEWS Contributor

Thursday, January 4th, 2007

 

You are in Beijing, watching the 2008 Olympic Games on a scorching hot afternoon. After the game, you decide to go to a local bar to entertain yourself. When the bartender brings the menu, you might find that a basic whiskey made in an Ohio distillery is available on the list.

 

This is not a dream. Some Ohio University students are trying to make it a reality.

 

Lifeng Wu founded and heads the OU China Business International (OUCBI), a student organization registered at the university in September 2006 to help establish business networks and cooperative projects between China and the United States. The group is helping a Kentucky-based whiskey manufacturer sell whiskey in Beijing and Shanghai. That firm also runs distilleries in Ohio and West Virginia.

 

MORE: http://athensnews.com/index.php?action=viewarticle&section=news&story_id=26970

 

From the 2/6/07 PD:

 

 

Asian trade has growing role in Ohio economy

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Frank Bentayou

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

How important are Asian imports and exports to the Ohio economy?  Many Asian markets are growing rapidly.  That means some are buying more goods produced in Ohio, the Midwest and other U.S. regions. 

 

They also are shipping much more to the United States, including to the Cleveland Customs Service Port, which handles exports to and imports from abroad.

 

Export data the World Trade Center Cleveland collected from the U.S. Census Bureau's foreign trade division tracks imports and exports in Ohio, Kentucky and parts of Indiana and Pennsylvania.

 

MORE: http://www.cleveland.com/business/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/business/117076505786460.xml&coll=2

 

From the 2/12/07 Cincinnati Business Courier:

 

 

Think3 opens China subsidiary

Cincinnati Business Courier - February 12, 2007

 

A local tech company is looking to China as a major market for its industrial design and product development software.

 

Think3 said Monday that it has opened an office in Beijing, which it will operate as a subsidiary, to support its expansion in China.

 

Part of the company's strategy in China is to promote its "free2Design" program, which gives engineers and designers free access to several of Think3's applications, as well as its user community, Think3 said in a news release.

 

"Think3's integrated solutions for the industrial design, MCAD, tooling and PLM markets fit perfectly into the current Chinese business infrastructure where companies are looking to adopt the best technologies and processes to challenge western manufacturers in product development," said Tom Davis, international sales director.

 

Think3 serves about 5,000 mid-sized manufacturers from its Cincinnati headquarters and offices throughout Asia, Europe and North America.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/02/12/daily2.html?from_rss=1

 

From the 2/19/07 Enquirer:

 

 

Architectural firm opens China office

THE ENQUIRER

 

Champlin/Haupt Architects Inc. has opened an office in Shanghai.

 

Company principal Don Xu is running the office for the downtown architectural firm, it said in a mailing to clients. It also operates offices in Northern Kentucky, northeast Ohio and Florida.

 

Xu traveled to China in late 2005 as part of a trade mission sponsored by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.

 

More Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky companies are opening operations in China. Service companies such as Champlin/Haupt often are looking to tap into the country’s huge population and fast-growing business base, while manufacturers often are looking for lower labor costs.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070219/BIZ01/302190051/-1/rss

 

Link contains photos.  From the 2/26/07 Dispatch:

 

 

GRAPHIC: Teaching Chinese

 

Chinese, please

The world's most prevalent tongue proves popular as central Ohio schools offer more languages

Monday, February 26, 2007

By Jennifer Smith Richards and Charlie Boss

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

The students read the symbols as if they were music, each character a precise sound, each sentence a lyric.  And with every wrong note and flat tone, the teacher hands down his correction as swiftly as a maestro slashes his baton. 

 

"You're not the Sioux Indians greeting the settlers," Jack Wills, a Mandarin Chinese teacher, tells his students.  It's hao-hao," he says, providing the pronunciation for the Chinese translation of "OK, OK."  Wills' students at Groveport Madison High School might not realize it, but they are in the cool class. Chinese is the it language in schools, and those in central Ohio are catching on.

 

Schools had their pick of "high need" languages - Arabic, Farsi, Japanese and Russian among them - after President Bush and then the state and federal education departments urged them to branch out in their foreign language offerings.  Grant money to do so followed.  Chinese won out, in part because it's the most-spoken language in the world and businesses increasingly need employees fluent in Mandarin, the most common form of Chinese.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/contentbe/dispatch/2007/02/26/20070226-C1-03.html

 

From the 4/15/07 PD:

 

 

Ohio firms tap into China

Manufacturers exporting tools, materials and machinery

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Peter Krouse

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Ron Ortiz has made a dozen trips to China in the past three years, the last several to drum up exports.  That's a lot of business-class flights across the Pacific Ocean for the 54-year-old chief executive officer of Stride Tool Inc. in Glenwillow, but the payoff has begun.

 

For years, the privately owned maker of specialty hand tools has exported to countries like Japan, Korea and Italy, helping to rack up annual sales of $40 million to $50 million.  But in 2006, Stride Tool exported to China for the first time, shipping more than $75,000 worth of its Imperial brand products.  The biggest-selling items were tube benders and tube cutters, destined for the hands of skilled tradesman who install heating and air-conditioning ducts in the commercial plants and residential high-rises sprouting all over China.

 

MORE: http://www.cleveland.com/business/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/other/1176539738101780.xml&coll=2

 

From the 4/26/07 Youngstown Vindicator:

 

 

Sweet plans to lead delegation to Asia

Travel expenses will be financed through private sources.

 

YOUNGSTOWN — The president of Youngstown State University will lead a university delegation to China and Taiwan this spring to develop new and stronger academic ties and opportunities with universities in the region. 

 

Dr. David C. Sweet announced the trip Wednesday at the conclusion of a visit to YSU by a five-member delegation of leaders from Lunghwa University in Taiwan.  "YSU has developed good relationships with several universities in China and Taiwan, and we have had several representatives from those universities visit YSU over the past few years," Sweet said.  "This trip will help to further cement and expand those partnerships, which will result in even more opportunities for our faculty and staff to fully interact with and experience this increasingly important region of the world," he said.

 

Wen Fang Yen, the president of Lunghwa University, who was part of the Lunghwa delegation that visited YSU this week, formally invited Sweet to visit his university.  Sweet has also received a formal invitation from Lin Zhengfan, president of Hangzhou Normal University in Hangzhou, China, who visited YSU in January 2006.

 

MORE: http://www.vindy.com/content/local_regional/298070150822279.php

 

Link contains photos.  From the 5/15/07 Enquirer:

 

 

Risk, rewards in Chinese trade

As state official signs trade agreement, senators urge protection against piracy

BY CLIFF PEALE | [email protected]

 

The power and pitfalls of trade with China went on display in Greater Cincinnati on Monday.  In a downtown hotel ballroom, the state of Ohio signed a trade agreement with the Chinese Ministry of Commerce to strengthen ties that provide low-cost labor and millions of dollars in new sales to local companies.

 

About 20 miles away in Sharonville, U.S. Sens. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, and Evan Bayh, D-Ind., appeared at Ford Motor Co.'s transmission plant to tout a proposal that would educate business owners about the issue and strengthen global enforcement against China for allowing piracy of U.S. products.  The two put the cost of such piracy at $250 billion a year and 750,000 jobs.

 

Voinovich said some cities in China are known by the American product that is copycatted there.  He conceded that dealing with copycats and counterfeiting is viewed by many as a cost of doing business in the world's fastest-growing market.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070515/BIZ01/705150328/

 

Link contains photos.  From the 5/16/07 Blade:

 

 

Visiting China delegates voice interests in trade

By JOSHUA BOAK

BLADE POLITICS WRITER

 

A Chinese trade delegation looking for international ventures heard two conflicting messages about Toledo yesterday.  Mayor Carty Finkbeiner described a dynamic city in America's manufacturing heartland that is ripe for foreign investment. Block Communications Chairman Allan Block talked about a complacent city that could learn from China's economic boom.

 

Qinhuangdao Mayor Jian Ruiting diplomatically agreed that both versions were correct.  After lunch with the mayor, Mr. Block, and other area business leaders at the Toledo Club, Mr. Jian expressed interest in partnering with local firms in the automotive parts, glass, and molding industries.

 

"China is a very big market," he said. "We have 1.3 billion people. So no country, no one, can neglect China."

 

MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070516/NEWS16/705160413/-1/RSS