http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/michigan/local-michigan-987665.mp3
(Springfield, IL) Governor Rick Snyder is in Asia on a trade mission to China, Korea and Japan. He’s not the only Midwestern governor there. The governors of Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana's Lt. Governor are also taking trade delegations to Asia.
The four Midwestern governors will be meeting in Japan with Japanese and other Asian political and business leaders. They’re working to kick start trade with Asian countries. China is particularly important because it’s one of the few nations where the economy is growing.
Charlie Wheeler was a long time statehouse reporter in Illinois. He says the chief executive officer of a state can carry symbolic weight in trade negotiations.
“And I think it makes a lot of sense for the Governor of Illinois, of Michigan and any other Midwestern state, any state in the union for that matter, to try and open up more markets in China, to establish the kind of personal relationships that in the business world often help to carry out these negotiations.”
The governor of North Carolina will be next in the parade of U.S. governors touring Asia. She leaves for a trade mission there next month.
