Indiana is launching its second trade mission to China in six weeks.
Barely a month after Governor Pence returned from China, Lieutenant Governor Sue Ellspermann will leave Monday on a 12-day trip.
But while Pence was focused on industrial exports, Ellspermann will be promoting Hoosier agriculture, highlighted by an Indiana booth at the Beijing Food Show.
She will lead an 18-member delegation promoting Indiana pork and duck, two staples of Chinese cuisine.
Ellspermann says she’ also be trying to create a market for an Indiana crop not seen much in China: popcorn.
"When we were in Taiwan last year, Harvey Gutwein of Gutwein Popcorn joined us and it was the hit of the Taiwan Food Show," says Ellspermann. "And there seemed to be the same opportunity to expand into China as well."
The trip comes days after the House slammed the brakes on a trade deal with China and other Pacific Rim countries.
Ellspermann acknowledges trade barriers on certain products complicate efforts to build Indiana‘s exports.
But she says the absence of a trade deal makes face-to-face meetings all the more important.
