Click to view this email in a browser http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/310797/77b95ad11a/29/3195b4aa03/ SAM ADAMS REPORT: REFLECTIONS AND NEXT STEPS FOLLOWING TRIP TO CHINA September 29, 2008 Dear Friends: It is good to home! You may recall that I traveled to China for a whirlwind tour of with the National League of Cities and the National Committee on US China Relations to explore sustainable development business opportunities. This is my summary report. You can read more of my “China Blog” posts written while I was traveling in China (see below for links) I left for China thinking we needed to ramp up our trade efforts. I come home now more convinced Portland needs a trade strategy to help strengthen our local economy. Why include China in a potential Portland trade strategy? China has one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the world. Based on my study and travels, two overarching observations: First, Portland is losing out on global business because we lack what the experts call, “brand awareness.” Too many business and government decision-makers around the globe do not know Portland exists or how Portland is different than most other cities. One example of “brand awareness” in the field of tourism: New Zealand is a top destination for many China-based tour operators. The Chinese love Auckland for its natural beauty, fresh local food and good shopping (sounds like a city and state we know). It takes 14 hours and 40 minutes to fly from Beijing to Auckland, New Zealand. It takes 14 hours and 15 minutes to fly from Beijing to Portland, Oregon When I met with Sandeep Bahl from Northwest Airlines he said if more China-based tour operators knew about Portland, we would better compete with New Zealand for Chinese tourists. The New York Times reports that travel industry experts forecast at least 50 million Chinese tourists will travel overseas annually by 2010, and 100 million by 2020. This is a huge opportunity for us. Link: “Harvesting Chinese Tourism” http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/77b95ad11a/3195b4aa03/3c2955da3d Link: “China's "retail tourists" ripe with potential for Portland” http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/77b95ad11a/3195b4aa03/4302518d2e//base/business/121989392364800.xml&coll=7 Link: “U.S. Travel Restrictions Eased for Chinese” http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/77b95ad11a/3195b4aa03/7152abcec7/storyId=89953762 Second, when it comes to selling Portland-based sustainable and green industry products and services in China, the time to build brand awareness is now. Chinese cities are growing at a record pace and plans are in the works to build 40 new cities of at least 1 million each. China has trashed (pardon the pun) much of its environment to achieve its economic growth and its citizens are beginning to complain. Loudly. Many of the 70,000 protests in China last year were closely related to environmental impacts of recent and proposed development. After ten minutes of breathing the swampy, coal-smoked air of the Chinese cities I visited, the question of investment in environmental progress is “when” not “if.” China is only beginning to “go green.” China has many environmental policy goals in place but widespread enforcement is just beginning. A US/China 10 year Energy and Environment Cooperation Framework Agreement was signed in June. Link: “The Cities of the Future.” http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/77b95ad11a/3195b4aa03/fd57c35e83/q=4179.0.98.0 Link: “US/China Energy and Environment Cooperation Framework Agreement." http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/77b95ad11a/3195b4aa03/2b5ef92d09 Link: “China adopts recycling law, boost sustainable development.” http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/77b95ad11a/3195b4aa03/670aacd6fe We can help address these challenges by building a smart trade strategy. Our trade promotion efforts must be aggressive but also realistic. Portland’s eco-firms have much to offer in the way of innovative sustainable development solutions. While results may not come overnight, we can begin now to prepare ourselves and our businesses for the eventual growth in demand. By working with Chinese cities that are ahead of the curve we will ramp up our regional capacity to access the Chinese market now and in the future. More specifically, our efforts must: • Learn from and support the success of local firms and other port/local/state trade efforts • Increase Portland’s profile • Focus trade strategy on the goal of local job creation – through business expansion or direct foreign investment • Strengthen cultural ties, university-to-university partnerships and tourism, and • Be consistent with our local values. My thanks to those of you who gave me advice and business leads in preparation for my trip to China. I welcome your thoughts as we proceed to crafting a trade strategy. Yours, Sam Link: Liftoff. http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/77b95ad11a/3195b4aa03/1e8dae77be Link: Keeping Direct Passenger and Cargo Air Connections. http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/77b95ad11a/3195b4aa03/a8224504c2 Link: Some Inspiration for a Modern Chinatown. http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/77b95ad11a/3195b4aa03/16947949df Link: Potential for PDX Green Firms in China With Plans for 40 New Cities of 1 Million. http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/77b95ad11a/3195b4aa03/e4eefba423 Link: Finding a New Home for Some Portland “Caterpillars.” http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/77b95ad11a/3195b4aa03/eb33708503 Link: China Bans Free Non-Reusable Plastic Shopping Bags. http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/77b95ad11a/3195b4aa03/462c2d046c Link: A Conversation With Zhang. http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/77b95ad11a/3195b4aa03/bd7b069796 Link: "...many Americans see China through an old lens." http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/77b95ad11a/3195b4aa03/56e6e1af8b Link: "I am not a boss...I am not able to force them..." http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/77b95ad11a/3195b4aa03/d70ac708e1 Link: “They…transfer…polluting industries to developing nations… and poor suffer…” http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/77b95ad11a/3195b4aa03/e2be9af8f0 Link: Playing catch up on our sustainable green target industry strategy. http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/77b95ad11a/3195b4aa03/067bfb61f9 Link: Possible Joint Venture for Self-Sufficient Neighborhoods and Green-Collar Jobs. http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/77b95ad11a/3195b4aa03/bd04d378f4 Link: BYD and Portland could be a great fit for both. http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/77b95ad11a/3195b4aa03/b89f1897aa ______________________________________________________________________ If you no longer wish to receive these emails, please reply to this message with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line or simply click on the following link: http://cts.vresp.com/u?77b95ad11a/3195b4aa03/ ______________________________________________________________________ This message was sent by Office of Commissioner Sam Adams using VerticalResponse Office of Commissioner Sam Adams 1221 SW Fourth Ave Room 220 Portland, Oregon 97204 (503) 823-4046 Read the VerticalResponse marketing policy: http://www.verticalresponse.com/content/pm_policy.html