On April 12-13, the America China Society of Indiana (ACSI) welcomed the Sichuan China Council on the Promotion of International Trade (Sichuan CCPIT) to a host of meetings throughout Indiana. The purpose of the visit was to: (1) serve as an advance delegation to learn more about Indiana and explore investment opportunities for its member companies in Sichuan;    (2) Identify opportunities for bilateral investment between Sichuan and Indiana; and (3) explore opportunities in the medical device, life science, hospital, information technology and agricultural industries.

The Sichuan CCPIT began their visit to Indiana by attending a business reception hosted by the ACSI focused on the business opportunities between Indiana and Sichuan Province. Attendees were then treated to a video summarizing the key industries and economic data on Sichuan Province before opening a dialogue on each company’s business interests in China. The event ended with a Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony between ACSI and Sichuan CCPIT to promote and cultivate business opportunities between the State and Province.

To learn more about Indiana’s competitive business climate, Sichuan CCPIT met with representatives from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. Additionally, the group met with representatives from BioCrossroads and Hathaway Strategies to learn more about Indiana’s life sciences and medical device industries.

To learn more about the opportunities for Sichuan companies in central Indiana, Sichuan CCPIT met with representatives from the Indy Partnership over lunch. The group discussed the international trade opportunities between Chengdu and Indianapolis, the Indy Chamber’s Global Business Center as a platform for investment, and other central Indiana assets that can help drive growth for Sichuan companies looking to expand into the U.S. market.

To learn more about the history and impact of the Fortune 500 company, the delegation received a personal tour of Lilly’s Indianapolis Headquarters. Led by Tom Xiao, the delegation learned about Lilly’s humble beginnings, it’s deep relationship with China, and the future growth opportunities for the company both domestically and internationally.

Led by Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Bruce Kettler, Sichuan CCPIT met with representatives of the ISDA and the Indiana Soybean Alliance to learn more about Indiana’s agriculture industry. Sichuan Province has a strong demand to import 750,000 metric tons of soybeans for use in a newly created soybean processing plant. The delegation also learned about the diversity in crops produced by Indiana and the excess capacity that is readily available for export.

Sichuan CCPIT met with executives from Boden LLC, an agricultural technology company specializing in reducing heavy metal pollutants from soil; increasing yields. The group discussed the company’s new technology, The BOLT, and the opportunities to license the technology for use in the China market.

To learn more about the opportunities for Sichuan companies in Columbus, Sichuan CCPIT met with Mayor Lienhoop and representatives from the city’s economic development board. With Cummins operating a facility in the Province, the group discussed opportunities for trade and investment in the
manufacturing industry and the new opportunities in innovation, life sciences and technology.

As part of their trip to Columbus, Sichuan CCPIT toured LHP Engineering Solutions’ downtown
automotive technology training facility and their northside technology center. Led by Michael King, President of Data Analytics Solutions, the group discussed the opportunities in IoT, data analytics, and technology industries along with LHP’s growth plans into the China market.

No trip to Indiana can be complete without a little fun! As the delegation’s last “official meeting”, the representatives from Sichuan CCPIT got to attend their first ever baseball game courtesy of Barnes & Thornburg LLP. Greeted by representatives of IEDC, Boden LLC and Nanshan America, the group got to sit back and relax with America’s pastime during firefighter appreciation night.

Russell Menyhart, ACSI Board Member and Partner at Taft Stettinius & Hollister, has been selected as a fellow to the National Committee on United States-China Relations Public Intellectuals Program (PIP).

Launched in 2005, PIP identifies outstanding members of the next generation of American China specialists – in the academic, professional, or policymaking spheres – who, in the tradition of earlier China hands, have the interest and potential to venture outside of academia or their professions into areas relevant to foreign policy and public education.

The two-year program is designed to enrich the twenty new fellows’ understanding of policymaking processes in both the United States and China; help them establish useful relationships both with their academic colleagues and with policy practitioners; encourage them to move beyond the confines of their own disciplines; and nurture their ability to engage with the public at a national, regional, and local level. PIP is implemented through a series of activities. These include seminars in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco; a study tour of China; opportunities to participate in National Committee delegations as scholar-escorts; and public education initiatives.

PIP is an enrichment opportunity intended to complement the primary academic or professional positions held by the fellows. The program offers unique opportunities for professional development, mentoring by senior scholars, networking, and exposure. Fellows gain access to senior policymakers and experts in both the United States and China, and to individuals and fields they are not typically be exposed to, such as the business, arts, health, and civil society sectors in China, as well as to the media in both countries. Fellows have access to media coaches to help edit and place op-eds and develop a social media presence.

On Thursday, February 28th, ACSI was delighted to welcome Mr. Yongheng Chang (Executive Chairman of the China International Medical Device Regulatory Forum in the  National Medical Product Administration) to Indiana. As part of his visit, Mr. Chang met with officials from Roche Diagnostics and Eli Lilly & Company.

Mr. Chang was also the keynote speaker of ACSI’s China Business Seminar on Medical Device Regulations. The event also featured a presentation by Xinmin Yue (CEO, Minyue-Pharos Consulting) and panel discussion with Naomi Kwang (Attorney, Barnes & Thornburg).