Secretary of State Dennis Richardson’s
First International Trade Mission
At the invitation of Tianjin,
China, I will lead an Oregon trade delegation to China. The delegation will depart
from Portland on November 8, 2017 and return on November 20. Tianjin
(population 15.5 million), is Oregon’s sister-state/city and is located 35
minutes southeast of Beijing by bullet train.
Although this will be my 12th delegation to China, it will be my first
international delegation as Oregon’s Secretary of State. The delegation has two primary purposes:
- Oregon small, medium, and large businesses have
been offered an opportunity to display “Oregon’s Finest” products in China-Tianjin International Sister City
Pavilion. This eCommerce platform
is the result of years of hard work by Jin Lan, President of Oregon-China
Sister State Relations Council (OCSSRC), to increase Oregon exports to Chinese
consumers via the internet. Jin Lan is also the delegation organizer. For more
information, visit the OCSSRC website. The Pavilion will give Oregon businesses the opportunity to reach millions of Chinese consumers
without the expense and uncertainty of warehousing huge stocks of inventory in
China.
-
Oregon Business Promotion - While in China,
Oregon business leaders traveling with the delegation will meet with consumers,
distributors, and Chinese government officials. Relationships are important in Chinese culture, and having the opportunity to meet face-to-face with
their Chinese counterparts will be an invaluable networking and business
development opportunity.
Henry Lawrence, a young Oregon entrepreneur, will be a part of the
delegation. Henry graduated from the University of Oregon last year with a
major in Chinese language and Finance. Using his
website (henryforest.net), language skills, and social media, he markets to Chinese tourists who are interested in “destination
vacations” that focus on attending major US sporting events.
Like Henry, if you have an interest in marketing your business
products or services to Chinese consumers and would like to join the
delegation, check out OCSSRC's website.
OCSSRC is an Oregon non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization
dedicated to promoting the mutual interests of Oregon and China. I helped
organize the OCSSRC in 2004 and remain the Registered Agent. Although I haven’t
had much involvement since 2012, OCSSRC graciously offered to pay my transportation
expenses to and from China, but to avoid any appearance of undue-influence, I will
be paying for the round-trip economy fare from the Secretary of State travel budget. Since I
have Type 1 Diabetes and blood circulation health considerations, I will be
upgrading my seat on the 12-hour flight using my own funds. Once in China, as
part of their international outreach budgets the local Chinese government
organizations cover the costs of American officials. Thus, other than the cost
of the airfare ($523) for an economy seat, my expenses for this delegation will not be
paid from Oregon public funds.
For the record, I have received no financial benefit from any of the
11 previous delegations to China, and I will receive none from this trip. I own
no interest in any company attending any of these delegations and I have never
received any compensation from OCSSRC. My payment is the personal satisfaction
I get from helping Oregon businesses grow their markets and from inviting
Chinese investors, tourists, and officials to discover Oregon’s culture and
beauty.
When I lead delegations
to China, I often conclude our meetings with this friendly, light-hearted invitation:
Come to Oregon! When you
come to Oregon, you will experience real American adventures; meet real
Americans, and buy your souvenirs duty-free—airports may have a duty-free
store, but Oregon is a duty-free state.
Are these international delegations worthwhile? Since my first
delegation to China in 2002, China has become Oregon’s #1 export destination, up
from #15. Chinese tourists have become Oregon’s #1 source of international
visitors. I take no credit for such successes, but if my efforts contributed even
a small part, that would make them worthwhile to Oregon businesses and to me.
Expect a full report about the trip in December.
Dennis Richardson
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