Michigan should do more business with China

BY TOM WATKINS
Special to The Oakland Press

President Obama had it right when he recently declared, “We can’t send a protectionist message.”

Michigan needs to send a message to the world — we are open to business and investment.

Let’s invite the Chinese leaders to Michigan. That’s right — let’s invite President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao to see the splendor of our state and take a few billion dollars of our products back to China.

The China Economic Blog www.china-economics-blog.blogspot.com recently reported that China will set up “procurement missions” to buy goods and technologies in Europe to stem protectionist sentiment.

Wen Jiabao said the procurement trips would be established as soon as possible.

The announcement underlines Beijing’s anxiety that the global financial crisis will prompt a new wave of protectionism, which would be damaging to China, the second largest exporter in the world.

During tough economic times, there is a tendency to want to erect trade barriers to keep the world out. There is a chorus of “Buy American” being sung across the land. Clearly, “all politics is local.” However, in today’s world, all business, trade and economics are global.

“Buy American” campaigns may buy politicians votes, but it also will unleash and spread global economic nationalism that will strangle economies around the world and the undertow will drown us all.

President Hu and Premier Wen should come hungry to soak up the beauty of “Pure Michigan” and the hospitality of our people.

Also, they should bring their running shoes, as we have much to show them and we know their time is limited and valuable.

A tour of a GM plant to see the beloved Buick, which has been a hot seller in China — attributable to the car’s quality and the last emperor in China driving one — would be on the itinerary. Stop by and see Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, who has been building economic and educational bridges in China.

A stop in Battle Creek to see how Kellogg produces quality, safe food products and a photo op with Tony the Tiger would be great PR all the way around.

Continue on to Grand Rapids to visit Amway Corp., a household name in China that continues to make record profits in this and other developing nations.

Swing by our outstanding Research Universities, University of Michigan, Michigan State, Wayne State, Oakland and others that have academic connections to China dating back decades.

As the tour meanders across the “Mitten of Plenty” we can discuss how we can sell the Chinese people apples, blueberries, cherries, sugar beets, corn, hay, grain, beans, pork, poultry and eggs, and forestry products and the other commodities that make agriculture the second-largest industry in the state.

We know our “Go anywhere, do anything” governor has not visited China yet. However, if Hu and Wen, go on a big enough “buy Michigan” spree, I am certain we can coax the governor to lead a delegation back to China — as long as they understand her spending allowance is not as large as theirs.

The closing night banquet would surely be hosted by top government, political, business, labor and academic leaders at The Henry Ford, where the spirit of America’s innovation of Edison, Ford and Firestone would mix with the Motown sounds of Aretha Franklin and other Detroit greats.

We have so much to sell — I mean show — and so little time.

While some will shout “Buy American,” I think Michigan should be shouting louder: “Michigan is open and wants to do business on the world stage.”

Tom Watkins of Northville is a business and education consultant in the United States and China. He served state superintendent of schools, 2001-2005, and mental health director, 1986-1990. He can be reached at tdwatkins@aol.com