Chinese delegation to visit Purdue, Indianapolis
July 19, 2012
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation will sponsor a visit to the state by a high-level delegation from China's Ministry of Commerce.
The 20 officials provide guidance to large Chinese companies looking to invest and expand outside China.
"This is a high-powered group sponsored by the central government that can have a big influence on where new investment goes," said Mark Van Fleet, Purdue's executive director of global business engagement who is coordinating the visit. "Indiana is fortunate to be hosting the delegation."
Besides Indiana, the delegation's only other U.S. visits will be to New York City and California's Silicon Valley.
The delegates will arrive in Indianapolis Wednesday (July 25). On July 26, they will spend the day in Indianapolis hearing from IECD and representatives of the auto, energy, bioscience, agriculture and logistics industries. On July 27, they will be in Columbus, where they will visit Cummins. In French Lick on July 28, they'll hear about that region and spend time at the resort.
They will spend July 29 and 30 in Greater Lafayette where they will meet Purdue officials and tour Purdue Research Park, Purdue Discovery Park and the Nanshan aluminum plant which is under construction on the south side of Lafayette.
"Nanshan is the perfect example of how Purdue and Indiana links to China can bring investment into our communities," Van Fleet said.
Lijun Du, president of Nanshan America Co., earned a master's degree in industrial administration from Purdue.
Writer: Judith Barra Austin, 765-494-2432, jbaustin@purdue.edu
Source: Mark Van Fleet, 765-494-0614, mvanfleet@purdue.edu
