TRADE DELEGATION TO CHINA (Press Release-8/19/2002) 
10-day trip to open up new business opportunities, promote cultural exchange 

County Executive Andy Spano will lead a trade delegation on a 10-day trip to China - to scout opportunities for local firms, build interest in Westchester’s upcoming research park, and help launch a medical exchange program on behalf of the Westchester Medical Center. 

Already one of the U.S.’s top trading partners, China holds potential for enterprising small and medium-sized firms. The world’s most populated country is experiencing significant economic growth and it makes sense to pursue the cultural and social ties that may lead to more business relationships, Spano said.

“We want to continue the efforts we started four years ago to encourage more economic development – and this time the focus is on technology and bio-tech companies,” Spano said. “Recently we’ve seen an influx of American businesses into the China market (and vice versa), and opening up additional lines of communication will only increase the possibilities.”

The 11-member delegation will depart Aug. 25 to visit four Chinese cities, meeting with dozens of municipal, business and medical officials along the way. Traveling with Spano will be his wife, Brenda Resnick Spano, the county’s child care advocate; Chief Information Officer Norman Jacknis; Salvatore J. Carrera, director of economic development/real estate; and Daisy Yau, director of Asian-Pacific affairs and business development. Among the other participants will be Cheryl Gainer, executive vice president of the Westchester Medical Center; Robert Lerner, the hospital’s associate medical director; and Larry Dwyer, president of the Westchester County Association. 

The trip will be the second for Spano, who led a similar trade delegation in 1998. Another delegation of county representatives traveled to China in 2000. 

The first stop will be Wuxi, a bustling coastal city with a population of 4 million, where the delegation will tour a business center housing technology and pharmaceutical firms and attend a luncheon with key CEOs. They will then meet with municipal officials and representatives from the Wuxi Chamber of Commerce and Education Bureau.

Spano got a personal invite from the mayor of Wuxi last spring after appearing by satellite from White Plains on the popular “Meet the World” program on China Central Television. The two officials had the opportunity to chat and field questions from an audience. The mayor invited Spano to discuss trade opportunities between businesses in Wuxi and Westchester, as well as IT and security issues following September 11.

In Tianjin - with 9 million people, China’s third largest city - the county delegation will visit several hospitals in an effort to establish an ongoing medical exchange program between the Westchester Medical Center and medical centers in Tianjin. Sixteen hospital CEOs and medical chiefs from Tianjin recently came to Westchester.

Because Spano was instrumental in making the introductions, he will lead the delegation, which will observe Tianjin’s medical delivery system and the use of alternative medicine. The hospital representatives will then go on to Westchester’s Sister City, Jingzhou, to discuss westernization of that city’s medical system. The rest of the delegation will visit a technology park and meet with biotech companies that might be interested in opening offices in the planned Westchester Medical Research Park.

Tenants will soon be solicited for the research complex which is to be built on a 60-acre county-owned site at Grasslands. The county will select a private developer in September to create up to 1 million square feet of lab and office space.

“This is a project we are extremely proud of. While I’m sure we will see a lot of interest from U.S. firms, we would welcome an international component as well,” Spano said.

In the capital city of Beijing, the delegation will meet with the American Chamber of Commerce to discuss the economic climate, a new trade bill, and opportunities and challenges in China/US trade relations. They will also visit and tour two IT and biotech companies. At a meeting with Beijing’s deputy mayor, Spano will make a presentation on the Westchester Medical Research Park and opportunities for Chinese biotech firms, and Jacknis will talk about the WITC and how it could work with Chinese firms. In the last city, Xian, an ancient national capital, the group will meet with the Xian Chamber of Commerce and several business owners. 

“If this trip is anything like the last one, I’m sure we’ll come up with even more ideas for pursuing economic development,” Spano said. “We’re following up on a number of initiatives.”

Several local companies are now pursuing or working on projects with China, and the county is working with several Chinese exporters interested in exhibiting at Westchester trade shows and jointly marketing products with local IT companies. Chinese companies are being recruited to become members of the global trade association run by the Westchester County Association. Plans are also underway to have a Westchester college set up a distance learning program with a Chinese university.

Following this trip, the county hopes to arrange regular videoconferences for businesses to meet with each other and set up a shared web site for international trade. On a broader scale, the county would also like to set up a sister relationship between the Westchester Information Technology Cluster and a similar group in Beijing.

Westchester County China Trade Delegation 2002