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Governor: China mission a success
By Brad Cain, Associated Press Writer
Friday, March 21, 2003 | No comments posted.
SALEM - Ebullient but a little bleary-eyed, Gov. Ted Kulongoski returned Thursday from a four-day trade mission to China and said the trip was successful in promoting sales of Oregon grass seed.
Kulongoski went to China to try to boost the reputation of grass seed in the face of criticism from some Chinese bureaucrats that grass wastes water and is costly to maintain.
The governor said those worries seemed to vanish during a meeting this week with a high-ranking Chinese official, Xu Kuangdi, who is vice chairman of the Communist Party.
"When we were talking, the vice chairman actually brought it up himself and talked about the value of Oregon grass seed," Kulongoski said at a news conference.
Grass seed industry officials who heard Xu's remarks "had the biggest smiles on their faces because the vice chairman had recognized Oregon and its contribution in China in the last 10 years," Kulongoski said.
Kulongoski's spokeswoman, Mary Ellen Glynn, said the Chinese officials didn't make a formal commitment to increase their purchases of Oregon grass seed.
"But they are ready to buy more," she said.
It could be a major boost for Oregon's grass seed industry, which has seen its exports to China increase from 100,000 pounds in 1996 to 12 million pounds in 2001.
With China set to host the Olympics in 2008, Chinese officials have embarked on a major effort to spruce up Beijing for the games.
The "greening of Beijing" promises to be a major boost for Oregon grass seed growers, who hope to increase their exports to China to 50 million pounds annually by then.
"They are committed to having the 2008 Olympics be the showcase for the New China - both economically and politically," Kulongoski said. "They are going replace a lot of areas that now are either paved or not planted" with grass.
He described his talks with the party's vice chairman and other Chinese officials as friendly, even when the touchy subject of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq came up.
"They voiced no criticism of the United States," Kulongoski said. "But they did say diplomacy is a much better way to resolve disputes."
In fact, Kulongoski said Xu gave him some personal advice - stop attending so many meetings and instead "go out and see China."
The governor said he took Xu's advice to heart and spent some time walking through Beijing and meeting with local residents.
Kulongoski went to China to try to boost the reputation of grass seed in the face of criticism from some Chinese bureaucrats that grass wastes water and is costly to maintain.
The governor said those worries seemed to vanish during a meeting this week with a high-ranking Chinese official, Xu Kuangdi, who is vice chairman of the Communist Party.
"When we were talking, the vice chairman actually brought it up himself and talked about the value of Oregon grass seed," Kulongoski said at a news conference.
Grass seed industry officials who heard Xu's remarks "had the biggest smiles on their faces because the vice chairman had recognized Oregon and its contribution in China in the last 10 years," Kulongoski said.
Kulongoski's spokeswoman, Mary Ellen Glynn, said the Chinese officials didn't make a formal commitment to increase their purchases of Oregon grass seed.
"But they are ready to buy more," she said.
It could be a major boost for Oregon's grass seed industry, which has seen its exports to China increase from 100,000 pounds in 1996 to 12 million pounds in 2001.
With China set to host the Olympics in 2008, Chinese officials have embarked on a major effort to spruce up Beijing for the games.
The "greening of Beijing" promises to be a major boost for Oregon grass seed growers, who hope to increase their exports to China to 50 million pounds annually by then.
"They are committed to having the 2008 Olympics be the showcase for the New China - both economically and politically," Kulongoski said. "They are going replace a lot of areas that now are either paved or not planted" with grass.
He described his talks with the party's vice chairman and other Chinese officials as friendly, even when the touchy subject of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq came up.
"They voiced no criticism of the United States," Kulongoski said. "But they did say diplomacy is a much better way to resolve disputes."
In fact, Kulongoski said Xu gave him some personal advice - stop attending so many meetings and instead "go out and see China."
The governor said he took Xu's advice to heart and spent some time walking through Beijing and meeting with local residents.
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