Maine International Trade Center

The Eastern Trade Council's China Office is a key resource for Maine businesses wanting access to trade and export assistance in the region. Through the MITC China Desk in Lewiston, Maine businesses now have a direct link to the ETC China Office in Chengdu. Jeffrey Qi, the Eastern Trade Council's representative in China, is available to provide market-specific counseling and assistance, facilitate export market penetration and expansion, make government and private sector contacts, and provide logistical support to ETC member state trade missions.

Current Trade Statistics:

Maine Exports to China

Top export opportunities in China include
biotechnology and pharmaceutical consulting,
infrastructure construction, and
environmental protection technology.

Regional Foreign Trade Representative Office in China, Oriamer LLC, supports the ETC's international marketing efforts and enhances trade development. This office is available to private sector businesses for assistance. Click here for more information

ETC's China Newsletter:

October 2004
August 2004

Contact Information:

Veronique Cavaillier
Director of Policy and Program Development
Council of State Governments
40 Broad Street, Suite 2050
New York, NY 10004
(212) 482-2344

Wade Merritt
Chairman of the Eastern Trade Council
Director of the Bangor Office for the Maine International Trade Center
One Cumberland Place, Suite 300
Bangor, Maine 04401
(207) 990-3161

Stephen Franck

Director of the MITC China Desk and Lewiston Office for the Maine International Trade Center

95 Park Street, Suite 411

Lewiston, ME 04240

(207) 753-0574

Maine, Nine Other States Open Chinese Trade Office

Maine and the nine other states of the Eastern Trade Council (ETC) voted in April to open a trade office in China. The office will primarily be focused on developing export opportunities for companies in the U.S. Northeast, but will also work on other trade issues and opportunities as they arise. Oriamer LLC of Delaware will represent the ETC states in China. Staffed by Jeffrey Qi and David Lin, Oriamer LLC is an experienced trade consulting practice, having worked for the state of Delaware in a similar capacity for the past 12 years.

The office will be physically located in the city of Chengdu in the western province of Sichuan. Chengdu has approximately 11 million residents and is the focal point of China's Great Western Development Strategy (GWDS). The GWDS is intended to shift significant resources and development away from the eastern cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, and into inland areas. This multibillion dollar investment offers significant opportunities for US companies involved in infrastructure development as the road systems are improved. Sichuan, as western China's industrial base, suffers from acute pollution. The Chinese central government has plans to increase spending on environmental protection, offering strong opportunities for firms active in any sort of environmental technology. The city and province have not been the focus of major Western investments until recently, with the announcement of Intel's $375 million facility in Chengdu.

In late May, MITC Bangor office director and current ETC chair Wade Merritt had the opportunity to travel to China with ETC members Wendell Hannaford and Veronique Cavaillier, as well as New York Assemblyman Bob Strainere. The delegation met in Beijing and Chengdu with both American and Chinese leaders to discuss the office and opportunities for Northeast exporters in China. Central to the discussions were the biotech/pharmaceutical industry, where Chinese producers are in need of US expertise in testing and quality assurance, as well as infrastructure and environmental needs. US Department of Commerce staff in both Beijing and Chengdu were very encouraging in their comments about the chances for success for US companies attempting to enter the Chinese market in these and other sectors.

Though the primary area of focus will be Sichuan, Maine businesses interested in exploring opportunities in other regions of China are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this new office.

ETC is a cooperative effort of the Council of State Governments-Eastern Regional Conference and the States of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. For more information on the ETC China office, please contact Wade Merritt at 207-990-3161 or email: merritt@mitc.com.