The Texas Week started on June 15 at the USA Pavilion with cowboys from Texas showing off their skills amid American country music performance by a Texans band.  Governor Perry announced the opening of the week.  Jose Villarreal, Commissioner General of the United States, was present at the opening ceremony.

China is Texas third largest export-import global trading partner.

More than two dozen Chinese companies have a presence in Texas.

“China will continue to grow in importance in the years to come, so we must prepare our cities, business leaders, universities and economic development organizations to relate to this essential trading partner”, says Governor Perry on his speech.

The main goal of Gov. Perry and a delegation of business and government leaders is to expand Texas’ visibility in the world marketplace and promote Texas tourism.

The governor and first lady’s trips are being paid for by TexasOne, which is the fundraising program for the Texas Economic Development Corporation. No tax dollars are being used for the Perrys’ travel and accommodations on this trip.

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Earlier in the day, Gov. Perry met with officials from Dallas and Houston to discuss development of a cooperative plan to attract more international businesses to Texas.

Later Gov. Rick Perry joined other members of the Texas delegation at a seminar teaching the intricacies of doing business in China.  The seminar covered a variety of topics, including investment strategy, Chinese investment policy, and the legal aspects of doing business in China. Participants included Texas Comptroller Susan Combs and officials from several U.S.-based investment, sales and technology firms that have found success in China.

In the evening, Gov. Perry joined Comptroller Combs at a reception with the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), known as “the Voice of American Business in China.”  Founded in 1915, AmCham is the largest and fastest-growing American Chamber in the Asia Pacific region, promoting U.S.-China commercial ties and supporting American companies doing business in China.

Gov. Perry later met over dinner with Zhengfei Ren, founder and CEO of Huawei Technologies, a global leader in commercial telecom networks. Huawei established its North American headquarters in Plano, Texas, in 2001, and now employs more than 1,000 people nationwide, including more than 750 Texans.

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 “Every day, we work to encourage innovation in Texas by investing in key fields like biotechnology, computer science, aerospace, and energy,” Gov. Perry said. “We are proud of our spirit of innovation, and work continually to encourage new ideas, new investment and new relationships, especially with strong international partners like Taiwan.”

The governor met with Eric Madison, deputy director of the American Institute in Taiwan. The institute handles many activities involving U.S. interests, including commercial services, agricultural sales, consular services and cultural exchanges.

Later in the day, the governor also met with President Ma Ying-jeou, president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to discuss the ongoing economic relationship between Texas and Taiwan.

The governor also met with Foreign Minister Timothy Chin-tien Yang and Minister of Economic Affairs Yen-Shiang Shih.

Gov. Perry also had business meetings with companies interested in expanding in or moving to Texas, including:

·         TECO Electric and Machinery Co., whose U.S. headquarters are in Round Rock;

·         Foxconn Technology Group; and

·         Formosa Plastics Corp.

The governor attended the Taiwan-Texas Investment and Cooperation Seminar to help companies find ways to increase their existing investments, and learn what incentives Texas has to offer for Taiwanese companies trying to relocate to the state. The seminar was attended by more than 15 company CEOs and chairmen, including such companies as Lee Chang Yung Chemical, DelSolar and Yang Ming America.

During the weekend Gov. Perry received a briefing by his staff on current issues happening in Texas.

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