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Montana Trade Delegation travels to Japan and Taiwan to promote trade
Webb Brown, Montana Chamber of Commerce, President/CEO has been travelling in Asia with the Montana trade delegation headed by Governor Martz. He reports on their progress below:
Tuesday April 20, 2004
Day two saw the delegation (fifteen of us in all) splitting up and leaving Taiwan. The ag group left first thing in the morning, while the tourism group stayed through the afternoon. Webb Brown was fortunate to have a meeting with the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei. This group is similar to our US Chamber of Commerce, but representing American business abroad. They are well aware of our difficulties with the beef ban. They are also struggling with travel arrangements post-911. On the other hand, they have offered to do a feature on Montana travel in their fall business magazine, too.
We were honored at a luncheon hosted by Taiwan’s Provincial Governor, an affair marked by the Minister who will be in charge of the official vote recount on the recent presidential election. We wished him well on this historic event in their young democracy. This was a largely ceremonial luncheon, with lots of gifts and photos exchanged. We even joked afterwards that the lunch wasn’t over until the photos taken at the beginning were printed and ready!
Just to show that little mishaps can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime, our van blew a tire on the way to the airport. Our ingenious driver "forced" over a China Airlines bus (our airline) and put us aboard in the middle of the freeway! Imagine our surprise to find that the bus included our pilot and crew for the flight to Fukuoka, Japan! The flight was marked by constant reference to the "hitchhikers". At Fukuoka, we were met by Montana’s staffer Mako Sakaguchi for a 90-minute bus ride to Kumamoto. Montana has a sister-city relationship with Kumamoto.
The ag delegation, meanwhile traveled to Tokyo
It was hard to leave Taiwan even after only a few days, as the genuine hospitality and positive reception were amazing. I also learned a great deal about a city and country that is far more modern than I imagined.
The tourism folks sponsored a reception for Montana travel in the afternoon, complete with rope tricks, fly-fishing demonstrations, and cowboy hats, courtesy of our trade office here in Taipei. The Montana mystique is well-received here.
Meanwhile, our ag delegation also visited a Taiwanese baking school to encourage the continued use of Montana grain. We have another reception this evening to build better relations with this nation of 22 million consumers.
Taiwan is a relatively small island, only about one-tenth the size of Montana. It is quite humid and warm, so we Montana folk have wilted a little under the heat, but are determined to make a good impression. Governor Martz is doing a great job, with everyone treating us with great hospitality and positive response. We’re working on a fourteen hour time difference, too. When it’s 8 a.m. there, it’s actually 10 p.m. that night here in Taiwan.
We look forward to making even more progress tomorrow.
Wednesday 4/21/04:
Day three began early for both groups. The ag group in Tokyo braved rush-hour subway traffic to head to Osaka via the bullet train. Their purpose was to visit with Japanese and American officials on the beef issue. They also toured an Osaka food market to see the offerings and preparations locally.
The Kumamoto group also rose early to receive a briefing on the Montana-Japan Trade Office. After that, Webb Brown met with the Kumamoto Chamber of Commerce officials. This conversation was mostly about the relationship of the two areas and operations of the respective organizations. Others had live radio interviews on tourism promotion. That group all reconvened to meet with Governor Shiotani (just re-elected April 3) on the sister relationship. Although good press coverage was expected (and evident) at that meeting, we weren’t expecting a TV crew to follow us as we visited Suizenji Garden and souvenir shopping that afternoon. We heard there was excellent coverage that night. Lunch was with representatives of the US Consulate in Fukuoka. The main event was the Montana Club reception that evening. The Montana Club is a group of Montana supporters (Japanese and American) that meets periodically. This time, it was a full-blown affair, with 130+ in attendance, including Governor Shiotani and the Mayor of Kumamoto. It was a great presentation, including cultural offerings and awards for the best Kumamoto-Montana relationship supporters.
The surprise in Kumamoto was the lack of internet access; the hotel doesn’t even have a business center.
Thursday 4/22/04:
Day four of the trade mission saw the delegation reuniting in Tokyo. First, the tourism delegation left Kumamoto, but not before another meeting with former Vice Governor of the Treasury (the third highest position in the Prefecture) Mr. Nobuo Khono. He is now head of the Kumamoto Airport. The Kumamoto relationship is very strong, with Mr. Khono suggesting we start direct jumbo jet service between Kumamoto and Montana!
After a brief reunion at the Tokyo hotel of the entire delegation, the group split again with part going to a meeting with Northwest Airlines and Alberta tourism officials. The rest of the group met with Nippon Flour Mills corporation. Pasta Montana in Great Falls is part of their holdings. Again, we assured them of their importance to Montana’s grain producers and Montana’s economy.
We ended the evening at a Tokyo restaurant where we made quite an impression, ending the evening with a rousing rendition of "Montana, Glory of the West".
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