Utah leaders planning China trade mission

A group of state economic development and business leaders are visiting China as part of the state's trade missions program.

The mission is scheduled to conclude April 29. Participants will spend a week in Beijing and then travel to Shanghai for several days' worth of meetings. Utah business leaders and local companies will meet with Chinese business leaders and organizers of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Summer Games.

Companies and organizations participating in the trade mission to China include Maaron Corp., Academy of Nursing, Utah State University, Zions Bank, Dahlstrom and Dahlstrom, Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Utah, Kuang's LLC, Seaich Card and Souvenir Corp., CEntry, Nu Skin Enterprises Inc., Cytozyme Laboratories Inc., Usana Health Sciences Inc., Linux Networx Inc., CargoLink and Sequence SDI International.

China is the seventh-leading destination country for Utah exports, with merchandise exports totaling $114 million in 2003.

Other trade missions scheduled this year are to Brussels, Belgium; Saarbrucken, Germany; Athens, Greece; Edinburgh, Scotland; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Taipei, Taiwan; Seoul, Korea; and Tokyo-Gifu, Japan.