Nine business delegates, representing seven companies, and five government officials participated on the South Carolina Trade Mission to China, November 2-11, 2007. The mission, organized and recruited by the S.C. Department of Commerce in conjunction with the Columbia U.S. Export Assistance Center (USEAC), included Gold Key Service (GKS) mission stops in two of China's 2nd tier cities - Chongqing and Tianjin. Three of the companies also participated in GKS appointments in Beijing.

The mission's first stop was Shanghai where delegates attended the Marine Corps Ball.  The delegates then traveled to Chongqing for the first pre-scheduled GKS appointments. A highlight of the mission stop in Chongqing was a kick-off meeting conducted on Monday, November 5, which included the following key city officials: Vice Mayor Mr. Wu Jianong, Vice Director of Chongqing CCPIT Mr. Shi Lei, Vice Director General of Chongqing Foreign Affairs Office, Vice Director of Chongqing Foreign Trade and Economic Committee Mr. Chen Yu, Vice Director of Chongqing State Taxation Bureau Mr. Lu Ziqiang and Vice Director of Chonqing Local Taxation Bureau Mr. Yin Congdong. U.S. Consul General Jim Boughner and Principal Commercial Officer Eric Wolff from CS Chengdu welcomed the Chinese officials and each business delegate gave a brief overview of their company's products. The event was covered on the Chongqing TV evening news. Immediately following the kick-off meeting, the government delegates met privately with the City of Chongqing government leaders and were then interviewed by 21 Century Business Herald. All delegates participated on a tour of ChangAn Ford company the following day.

Delegates then traveled to Tianjin for the next round of GKS appointments. The last stop on the mission was Beijing where delegates attended a dinner briefing conducted by Deputy Senior Commercial Officer William Brekke.

The seven companies participating on the mission included Cox Industries of Orangeburg, SC; Gilkey Lumber Co. of Rutherfordton, NC; Grizzly Forest Products of Joanna, SC; Hydra Platforms Manufacturing of Rock Hill, SC; Next Safety of Jefferson, NC; Chen Enterprises of Columbia, SC; and Walex Products Company of Wilmington, NC.  Sr. International Trade Specialist Jayne Woodward, Columbia, co-lead the mission with state partner Gregory Guest of the S.C. Department of Commerce. 

The five government officials participating on the mission included The Honorable Elizabeth Gilland, County Council Chairman, Horry County, SC; The Honorable Larry Hargett, County Council Chairman, Dorchester County, SC; The Honorable Joseph McElveen, Jr., Mayor, City of Sumter, SC; Mr. Ray Stevens, Director, S.C. Department of Revenue; and Mr. Hunter Howard, Jr., President & CEO, S.C. Chamber of Commerce.  John Ling, Director of the S.C. Department of Commerce's Shanghai office, was responsible for arranging appointments for the government delegates.

Two major export partners of the Columbia USEAC, The Export Consortium and the S.C. District Export Council, helped fund the cost of the mission to keep the participation fee affordable. The Export Consortium, through a grant from the S.C. Manufacturers Extension Partnership  paid the Gold Key Service fees for the South Carolina companies on the mission, and the S.C. District Export Council contributed $1000 to help cover mission costs.

From all accounts, the mission was a great success. Several of the business delegates anticipate sales in the near future as a result of contacts made and the government officials now have a much better understanding of the China market and its impact in the global marketplace.