Oregon Gov. Kate Brown appears to be enjoying her time in Asia. Brown, who is traveling the continent on a nine-day trade mission to three countries, spent time touring Hanoi, Vietnam with locals Sunday.
Brown and a delegation of about 50 private and public sector leaders have been in Asia since Tuesday, meeting with business leaders, local officials and U.S. foreign officials as part of a trade mission to promote Oregon tourism, businesses and food products in Japan, China and Vietnam. The trip is part of the governor's plans to bolster strong economic ties between Oregon and it's Asian trade partners.
"From manufacturing, agriculture, and even to tourism, Asian markets are worth billions to Oregon’s communities. It’s important to maintain these relationships and build new ones," Brown said in a news release marking the beginning of her trip.
Asia is the state's largest trade partner region for agricultural products, and China recently became the state's largest export market, bringing in about $4 billion in Oregon exports annually. Japan and China also provide a big chunk of the state's tourism market, with Japan having held the title of the Oregon's top overseas market for a decade before recently being surpassed by China.
China and Japan represent the world's second and third largest economies respectively, according to recent data from t he International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook.
The group met with U.S. officials in Japan and China earlier this week during stops in Tokyo, Japan and Beijing, China. Monday, in Hanoi, the governor will take part in a roundtable discussion on LGBT issues before participating in a "Doing Business in Oregon" investment on Tuesday. Brown will meet with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng Tuesday evening to conclude the Asian trade mission.
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