The Asian Education
Foundation presented a panel discussion on “Oregon and China: Developing
Strategies for Economic Development and Environmental Sustainability” at the
Port of Portland on 11/16/09.
There were two
panels. The first panel included (photos are in this order) the Speaker of the
Oregon House Dave Hunt, who lead a recent legislative delegation to China; Representative
Jules Bailey, a leader on both environmental sustainability and China related legislative
issues (also on the legislative delegation); Annette Price, State Government
Relations Manager for the Port of Portland (also accompanied the recent
delegation); and Jon Blumenauer, Managing Partner of Hutani (here), who traveled
to China this year with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to discuss environmental policies
with top Chinese leaders.
Speaker Dave Hunt
reported that each trip was an opportunity to strengthen economic, educational
and cultural ties; that the two countries have a lot more in common than the
average Oregonian or US citizen thinks; that there are huge trade opportunities,
not just in products, but services; that there are now amazing opportunities in
sustainability; that our futures are tied together; that, after meeting with
the Confucius Institute, the legislative bipartisan delegation agreed to work to
make Oregon the top state in Mandarin education; and that he found discussions
with the Chinese open and honest about our differences.
Representative Bailey, who has lived in China and speaks
Mandarin, said he found the speed of change impossible to describe. There was
no longer a strong contrast between Hong Kong and Beijing.
Annette Price noted that the Port of Portland has known of the importance of the Asian markets, especially Japan and China, and has spent lots of time and money building relationship in China. She also noted the stunning growth in China, and that “it’s not republican or democratic, it’s the future.”
Jon Blumenauer reported on his trip to China with Speaker
Pelosi. He found China to be very serious about tackling issues of
environmental sustainability. They will continue to put economic growth at the
top of their agenda (they do have 40-150 million people living below their
poverty level), but they are taking serious step to deal with their
environmental problems.
There was a question and answer period. The most interesting
exchange, IMHO, came on a question from former Secretary of State (now candidate
for Governor) Bill Bradbury. He asked, in effect, what Oregon business sectors had
the largest opportunities in China. Speaker Hunt answered that the already
large agricultural export trade had opportunities to add value to their
products. I agree with this. Representative Bailey noted sustainability
services and expertise, but then added some significant comments. He said, in
effect, that business sector advantages would change over time, so that what
Oregon should aim for is an innovational and human capital competitive advantage.
We needed to become the place for new ideas about business opportunities in
China. We need to develop the capabilities to stay one step ahead of others
in generating and implementing such ideas. I agree, and this is where
legislative action is needed to develop our China related educational infrastructure.
After the question period, there was another panel of two China entrepreneurs:
Ocean Yuan, President of Grape Solar, Inc. (here), and Executive Director of the China
Solar Industry Consortium, the world's largest conglomerate of photovoltaic
manufacturers; and Jack Chu, CEO of Terra Solar Global (here).
Ocean Yuan spoke of the federal and state tax incentives for solar, that the total cost of installed solar is 50% hardware and 50% labor for installation, and that there is a need to cut the hardware costs further to make solar more competitive.
Jack Chu said western assumptions can create blind spots in doing business in China, and that China is complex and different. New businesses should take their time to understand China.
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