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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana Gov. Mike Pence plans to visit China next month on an economic development trip, his office announced Monday morning.
Pence will travel with a delegation of Hoosier business leaders to Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang Province, Indiana’s Chinese sister-state. The delegation plans to leave May 9 and return May 16.
The group is expected to meet with top executives from numerous Chinese companies, government leaders and potential investors, as well as host a reception in partnership with the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.
It also plans to visit Indiana companies with operations in China, including Cummins Inc. and Eli Lilly and Co., and with China-based Haier Group, which plans to locate its North American Tech Center in Evansville.
Indiana counts China as its fifth largest export partner, with exports totaling $1.4 billion in 2014. More than 10,000 Chinese students attend universities in Indiana.
The cost of the state delegation is being covered through private donations to the Indiana Economic Development Foundation. The state said first lady Karen Pence and Secretary of Commerce Victor Smith will be among those making the trip.
Pence has gone on five previous international trade missions, with trips to Japan in 2013 and to Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada and Israel in 2014.
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