Gregoire to strengthen Washington state�s ties with China, attending White House state dinner

For Immediate Release: January 19, 2011

OLYMPIA � Continuing her effort to strengthen Washington state�s ties with China, Gov. Chris Gregoire tonight will join President and First Lady Obama to welcome President of the People�s Republic of China Hu Jintao to a state dinner in his honor held at the White House.

�Expanding our exports is key to our economic recovery,� Gregoire said. �With one in three jobs tied to trade in our state, it is essential that we maintain strong relationships with our trading partners. We�ve made tremendous strides with China � which is now our state�s largest trading partner. I�m pleased to meet President Hu again, and intend to build on our work tonight to ensure more opportunities for our businesses, which will lead to job creation and economic growth.�

In September, Gregoire led a delegation of more than 100 leaders in business, agriculture and education on trade mission to China and Vietnam, which resulted in more than $10 million in immediate new sales and investments. More investment is expected to continue as a result of the trade mission.

�We look to China in the near- and long-term as being a very big market for the West Coast and Tacoma,� said Port of Tacoma Commissioner Connie Bacon, who accompanied Gregoire on the trade mission and is a member of the governor�s economic development Commission. �China is a strong export market for our agriculture products today, and I believe there will be additional export opportunities in other areas as well in the future.�

�There is no doubt that the personal meetings we had in September have been beneficial to our company to evaluate the multitude of intriguing opportunities available in China,� said James Katzaroff, chief executive officer and chairman of Advanced Medical Isotope Corporation. �Health care is a major issue for every country. Our company is at the forefront of manufacturing and distributing medical radioisotopes for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and our cost-effective solutions will greatly assist their future in providing for their citizens.�

President Obama welcomed President Hu Jintao to the United States earlier this week, and is holding a series of meetings to improve trade relations with China.