As the new Trump administration tries to figure out what this country’s trade policies will be, Virginia continues its quest for more business overseas. Sandy Hausman says the recent trade mission to Asia and Australia holds promise for boosting tourism, the sale of farm and forest products and construction of more toll roads.
Seventeen state officials including the Governor, First Lady and two security guards, spent nine days and more than half a million dollars courting possible trade partners in Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Australia. The state’s Secretary of Commerce, Todd Haymore, says the group held a reception in Sydney to explain why folks Down Under should consider coming up to Virginia.
“When they take vacations, because they are so far away from the rest of the world, particularly the United States, you’re talking about multiple week vacations," he explains. "Australians are really keen on history, and there’s no better state in American for history than Virginia – first settlers landing in 1607, but then the Founding Fathers, the Civil War.”
From that reception, Haymore says, they could see Sydney’s Opera House, but this was no sightseeing mission. The delegation spent most of its time in hotel and conference rooms or in flight.
“You’re talking about a 13 or so hour flight to Japan, Japan to Korea, Korea to Singapore, Singapore to Melbourne, then Melbourne to Sydney," Haymore recalls. "Then coming home it was a 14-hour plus flight from Sydney to LA, and then you had a five hour flight, because we had to circle Dulles a little bit.”
The delegation opened a trade office in Singapore to cultivate the sale of farm products there and in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. Also for sale from the forests of Virginia – lumber to produce cheap furniture once manufactured here.
The group set-up another trade office in South Korea and signed an agreement with that country’s utility – Kepco – which has a reputation for innovation. The deal commits both parties to share information, and Haymore says it could jump start this state’s efforts to expand the use of clean, renewable energy.
“Our power system is out of date certainly with 21st century standards," Haymore says. "Is this a way that we can learn from each other to better?"
Another agreement, this one in Australia, involves sharing information on cybersecurity, and while officials won’t confirm it, they likely met with a Melbourne-based company called Transurban. It helped build toll roads in the D.C. area and Richmond, and apparently wants to do more business in the Commonwealth, as it handed out nearly $64,000 in campaign contributions to state lawmakers this year.