Apr 292019
 

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.