LOS ANGELES —Mayor Eric Garcetti will leave the country this weekend for a trade mission in Asia, with stops in China, South Korea and Japan.
The countries, respectively, are the city’s top three trading partners.
The goal of the visit is to increase tourism and encourage companies in the countries to invest in Los Angeles.
“Now, as we emerge from the recession, it’s more important than ever that we aggressively promote international trade and tourism,” Garcetti said in a statement. “We must leverage our assets in the global marketplace to create jobs here in Los Angeles. We have developed strong economic ties with Asia, and we must continue to build on them.”
Last year, trade between Los Angeles and China was valued at $164.3 billion; with Japan the number was at $43.5 billion; and with South Korea trade was at $23.5 billion.
Garcetti will visit Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzen in China; Seoul in South Korea; and Tokyo in Japan.
Among leaders the mayor plans to meet with include the chairman of Korean Air and the chief executive of Samsung Construction and Trading Corp. He also plans to work with the mayors of Guangzhou and Auckland, Australia.
Additionally, Garcetti will approve an agreement that will allow Chinese patients requiring surgical procedures in Los Angeles to travel to the city.
Asian Americans account for 15 percent of the population in Los Angeles County, making it bigger than that of any other county in the United States.
The price tag of this trip is expected to be $570,000, with funding from Los Angeles World Airports, Port of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Garcetti will be accompanied by business leaders and officials, including council members, representatives of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, and executives from medical centers such as Cedars-Sinai and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.
Others who will embark on the trade mission with Garcetti include his father Gil Garcetti, and executives from Ernst & Young and Universal Studios. These individuals, however, will pay their own way.
(With reports from Los Angeles Daily News and Los Angeles Times)
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Weekend November 15-18, 2014 Sec. A pg.5)
