Liaoning
By Taowen LeProfessor of Information Systems and Technologies at Weber State University andProvincial IT Representative of Liaoning Province A. Quick Facts about Liaoning ProvinceWith a population of 42 million and as the most industrialized province of China, Liaoning Province is one of China’s first regions opened up to the world. It not only has the best of China’s transportation and communication systems, it is also one of China’s most important industry bases. In addition, since the 1950s, Liaoning Province has been co-leading the country with Beijing in education, sports, and cultural richness.  Situated at the center of Northeastern Asia, Liaoning is about 6 hours of drive or 1 hour of flight northeast of Beijing. The province consists of 14 large or middle-sized administrative cities including world-known cities of Shenyang and Dalian. While Shenyang is the political, economic, and cultural center of the entire northeastern China (there is an American consulate in Shenyang), Dalian is a world-level city of light industry and high technologies. Anshan, Liaoning’s third largest city, is also a well-known city of heavy industry. With a solid economic foundation and abundant economic strength, Liaoning has maintained rapid economic growth during the past two decades. Under China’s recent economic initiatives, billions and billions of central government funding has been pumped into Liaoning Province to further its growth, which makes Liaoning Province an increasingly attractive place of abundant business opportunities for the rest of the world. Today, many of the world’s Fortune 500 companies have established operations in Liaoning Province. B. The Utah Legislative VisitThe Utah legislative delegation will visit Shenyang, Dalian, and Anshan during their visit to Liaoning Province. They will spend two days in Shenyang, the capital city of Liaoning Province - and home to about seven million people - two days in Dalian, the second largest city in Liaoning and one day in Anshan, the third largest city in Liaoning and also a city of multi-million people. They will be holding talks and meetings with their legislative counterparts, and other top provincial and city government leaders including provincial and city department leaders, provincial and city business, industry, education, and cultural leaders; they will also site visit businesses, schools, and industry parks. As a delegation, we lay groundwork for eight key long-term outcomes: 1. Pave the road for Utah businesses
As the world economy becomes more and more globalized, business competition often occurs beyond traditional constraints. Where Utah businesses have not even set their feet on, companies from Europe, Japan, South Korea, and other states in the U.S. have already thrived. Such is Liaoning Province. However, while business organizations in Utah conduct their businesses typically without government involvement, Asian governments usually take a much bigger role. Through meetings with law makers and government executives in Liaoning Province, Utah legislators will gain first-hand understanding of how things work there; they will also resolve with their counterparts in Liaoning any issues or concerns they perceive as their understanding deepens. Doing so, they will pave the road for Utah businesses.
2. Create international opportunities for Utah businesses
As a highly industrialized province, Liaoning has many market segments where Utah businesses could have a significant share. For example, pollution control and environment protection is one area where Utah companies could be very profitable. Mines, steel industry, computer industry are just a few other possibilities. More importantly, Liaoning is the leading province in Northeastern China. As Utah businesses establish their presence and reputation in Liaoning, they will be able to expand into the market of the neighboring provinces easily. Through meetings with business and government leaders in Liaoning, Utah legislators will be able to create and cultivate international opportunities for Utah businesses.
3. Create new export and job opportunities for Utah
As export constitutes an important segment of Utah’s economic growth, more export from Utah means more job opportunities for its people. Through discussions and negotiations with Liaoning’s economic leaders, Utah legislators will broaden export channels and thereby generating new job opportunities for Utah.
4. Market Utah to China and bring investment to Utah
When speaking of China, many often think of China as a country attracting investments from the rest of the world; they fail to recognize the fact that as China’s economy becomes stronger, Chinese companies are also actively seeking to invest in foreign countries. As one of the most livable places in North America, Utah has many unique strengths not available in other places such as its clean natural environment, safe social environment, unique cultural richness, and abundant quality human resource. During their trip to Liaoning and through Chinese media, Utah legislators will market Utah to China not only through their verbal presentations, but also through their personal images as dependable and honorable leaders in Utah.
5. Create new channels of cultural exchange for Utah
Liaoning is a leading province in China in cultural richness. Utah also possesses unique cultural strengths. Cultural exchanges between Utah and Liaoning would not only enrich the lives and improve the mutual understanding of both peoples, but also foster new trade opportunities between Utah and Liaoning. Through meetings with cultural leaders of Liaoning Province, Utah legislators will be able to explore and create new channels of cultural exchanges for people in Utah.
6. Create opportunities of educational compliments for Utah
Liaoning is also a leading province in China in education. Its grade school system possesses many unique strengths that could be absorbed by Utah schools; likewise, Utah schools have many unique programs that could benefit schools in Liaoning. Through discussions with Liaoning’s educational leaders and practitioners and through first-hand school visits, Utah legislators could open up education channels with Liaoning that would benefit Utah’s education system and students of the state for many years to come.
7. Strengthen a government-to-government relationship for long-term benefits of Utah
Creating, maintaining, and cultivating a government-to-government relationship for the long-term benefits of peoples on both sides takes sincere efforts. The exchange of official visits is not only a diplomatic symbol of dependableness and trustworthiness, but also a necessary process that allows both sides to implement and cultivate the relationship for the benefits of both peoples.
8. Help establish world peace along the way
The world today has far too much misunderstanding about the U.S. and its people. Many people mistakenly believe bringing world peace is the task of federal governments only. Despite the sad reality that whenever peace is broken, it is the ordinary people that suffer, they sometimes fail to realize that true peace comes only when there is true mutual understanding and true mutual respect among different peoples of the world. Mutual understanding and mutual respect could not possibly be achieved without communication and exchange among the peoples at all levels. During their visit to China, Utah legislators will be able to discuss face-to-face with their Chinese counterparts any concerns people in Utah might have about China. Directly or indirectly, such mutual understanding will inevitably influence the way they make laws and regulations there. [Editor's Note: Taowen Le has worked with us to promote a Utah-Liaoning connection for over two years. He has been instrumental in our developing friendship with China.]
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7 Comments:
BTW - this photo, posted above, is our friend Taowen in Dalian at a 2004 international software conference.
World peace? Why did you wait until now to bring this up? Had the Legislature said up front "We are going to China to establish world peace" everyone would have been down with that. This could be a follow up trip to Nixon's visit in the early 1970s.
World peace! Woo hoo!
Wow ... China has not just administrators, but "administrative cities"? Just think ... a city composed entirely of people devoted to telling other people what to do.
And this one's "middle-sized."
It's a good thing the free society Americans enjoy that there's such a thing as an "administrative city."
Oh.
Your tax money hard at work....riiiiiiggggghhhhht.
I'd like to check in 2 years from now and see just how this trip has paid for itself in trade.
Or more like how it hasn't.
What? Utah Legislators actually learning about the rest of the world! What a novel idea.
Why doesn't the legislature "foster trade" with California or another AMERICAN state first? I'm glad Sen. Bramble gets a free trip to China. He deserves it.
If you're interested in this trip - or China in general - you'll also want to read The Middle Kingdom, by Senate President John Valentine.
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