GOVERNOR LINGLE TO STRENGTHEN BUSINESS, TOURISM AND EDUCATION RELATIONS WITH KOREA, CHINA AND JAPAN
For Immediate Release: October 3, 2007
HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle will lead an eleven-day business trip to Asia that will build on her Administration’s continuing efforts to expand Hawai‘i’s business, tourism and education opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region. During the trip, which will take place from Oct. 23 – Nov. 3, the Governor will visit Seoul, Korea; Beijing, China; and Ehime Prefecture in Japan. It will be the Governor’s second official visit to Korea and China and her third visit to Japan as Governor of Hawai‘i.
“This important trip will build on the success of our previous visits to Korea, China and Japan and our ongoing efforts to further enhance relationships with our neighbors in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Governor Lingle. “Hawai‘i’s heritage is rooted in Asia and the Pacific, and our future will be determined by the ability of our residents and businesses to use their capabilities and creativity to compete in this part of the world. This trip will focus on further developing partnerships that will enable Hawai‘i to take the lead in business, tourism and other industries, as well as provide new opportunities for our young people to compete in the global market.”
The Governor will be accompanied by members of the Administration who will take part in various segments of the trip, including Marsha Wienert, state tourism liaison; Ted Liu, director, Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT); Major General Robert Lee, state adjutant general; and Lenny Klompus, senior advisor-communications. Dr. David McClain, president, University of Hawai‘i (UH), as well as Hawai‘i Tourism Authority and DBEDT staff will also participate in portions of the trip.
Seoul, Korea
The first segment of the trip, three days in Seoul, will focus primarily on expanding tourism markets and building business opportunities between Hawai‘i and Korea. Highlights include a meeting with Roh Moo-hyun, President of the Republic of Korea, who the Governor met in July during the President’s visit to Hawai‘i.
Meetings will also be held with Song Min-soon, minister of foreign affairs and trade; the board of directors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea; and Hee-Beom Lee chairman of the Korea-U.S. Economic Council and the Korea Investment and Trade Agency.
During a meeting with U.S. Ambassador Alexander Vershbow, the Governor and Hawai‘i tourism officials will discuss the status of Korea being considered as a candidate for the U.S. visa waiver program, which enables nationals of certain countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. Governor Lingle will also meet with the presidents of Asiana and Korean Airlines to discuss increasing airline seating capacity between Hawai‘i and Korea.
In addition, the Governor will meet with the chief executive officer of Dongbu Insurance, which in 2006 became Korea’s first overseas insurer to use Hawai‘i as a port of entry into the U.S. market. As she has done in previous overseas business trips, the Governor also will participate in a forum with women leaders representing a cross-section of the Korean community.
Beijing, China
In Beijing, the Governor will speak at the 2nd World Tourism Marketing Summit, which will bring together approximately 400 leading tourism executives, marketing experts and top operational managers from over 50 countries, as well as from over 150 major cities of 30 provinces in China. The summit will provide an opportunity for Hawai‘i officials to explore tourism marketing opportunities being created by the 2008 Beijing Olympics, as well as enhance cooperation between Hawai‘i and international tourism leaders. A key area of focus during the summit, which is of significant interest to Hawai‘i, will include marketing strategies targeting outbound Chinese travelers to international destinations.
The Governor will also meet with officials from the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) to build on the progress made since the Governor’s first meetings with CNTA officials in Beijing in 2005. Those meetings resulted in the April 2006 signing in Hawai‘i of a Memorandum of Cooperation between the state and the CNTA to facilitate the expansion of two-way travel, as well as promote strategic partnerships, information exchanges and training opportunities. Governor Lingle will also meet with Vice Premier Wu Yi, who presided over the cooperative tourism agreement signing as well as participated in investment and tourism round-table seminars with Hawai‘i businesses when the Vice Premier visited the islands last year.
The Hawai‘i delegation will meet with Beijing Mayor Wang Qishan for an update on the city’s preparation for the Olympics. Governor Lingle and Mayor Wang last met in 2005 in Beijing. In addition, the delegation will meet with the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee and tour the Olympic Stadium.
The Governor will meet with the chairman of China Council for Promotion of International Trade to explore foreign investment, trade and economic development opportunities. She will also attend the grand opening of the Hawai‘i-based property and insurance company Cavanaugh Associates’ joint venture in Beijing.
As part of an ongoing commitment to expand global education opportunities for Hawai‘i residents, the Governor and UH President David McClain will meet with China’s minister of education to explore education exchange collaborations. In addition, the Governor will speak to students at the Beijing Foreign Studies University, which has partnered with UH to develop programs at the Confucius Institute, which opened at the UH Mānoa campus last November as one of only 11 Confucius Institutes in the U.S. and 100 being established around the world by China’s Ministry of Education. The president of the university, Mr. Hao Ping, is a UH alumni who works closely with UH officials on cooperative education programs. The Governor will conclude her Beijing visit with a reception for UH alumni living in China.
Ehime, Japan
During two days in Ehime, the Governor will help launch the first portion of DBEDT’s Hawai‘i Global Links – Business Mission to Ehime, Hiroshima and Niigata, Japan, which will focus on enhancing the close economic, cultural and historic ties between Hawai‘i and Japan. A seminar in Ehime coordinated by DBEDT will focus on Hawai‘i’s innovation initiatives. An invitation will be extended to Ehime business and government officials to partner with Hawai‘i in the areas of educational exchange and global trade.
A significant event in Ehime will be the laying of a wreath at the Ehime Maru Monument, which was constructed in 2002 at the Uwajima Fisheries School to commemorate the tragic collision of a U.S. submarine vessel and the school’s training ship in Honolulu in 2001. In 2003, the State of Hawai‘i and Ehime Prefecture established a sister-state-prefecture relationship.
The Governor will also visit the Matsuyama Technical High School as part of the Administration's efforts to expand science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, a key component of the Hawai‘i Innovation Initiative. She will also meet with government officials such as Ehime Prefecture Governor Moriyuki Kato, Ehime Assembly Chair Kiroyuki Yokota and Uwajima City Mayor Hirohisa Ishibashi.
Expenses for Governor Lingle and two staff members will be paid for by the Governor’s budget. Other expenses for cabinet members and government officials will be paid for by their department’s respective budgets.
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For more information, contact:
Lenny Klompus
Senior Advisor – Communications
Phone: 808-586-7708
Russell Pang
Chief of Media Relations
Phone: 808-586-0043
Ted Liu
Director, DBEDT
Phone: 808-586-2355
Marsha Wienert
Tourism Liaison
Phone: 808-586-2362
