Wash. Gov. Gregoire to lead trade mission to Asia in September in effortto increase exports

Wash. governor to travel to Asia in September

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Gov. Chris Gregoire will lead a trade mission to Asia in September as part of an effort to increase the state’s exports.

The Democratic governor will visit the World Expo in Shanghai, stop in other Chinese cities and visit Vietnam. The trip is part of an initiative announced Thursday that is intended to bring in $600 million in new export sales for state businesses.

Gregoire says in addition to reaching out to potential trading partners, she is directing an additional $3 million be set aside to help companies that are seeking to export for the first time.

Gregoire says she also wants to encourage more foreign students to study in Washington, and start up a “farm-to-market” initiative that will have existing state programs compete for money to develop their ideas.