Feature: U.S. partnerships with China mushroom despite trade frictions

Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-18 21:53:09|Editor: xuxin
Video PlayerClose

U.S.-PENNSYLVANIA-CHESTER COUNTY-CHINA-TRADE

Workers collect mushrooms at Pietro Industries' farm in Chester County in Pennylvania, the United States, July 9, 2018. While U.S. President Donald Trump sees an "economic enemy" in China, the northeastern U.S. county of Chester in Pennylvania sees an economic partner. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

by Xinhua Writers Wang Wen, Yang Shilong, Zhang Mocheng

CHESTER COUNTY, United States, July 18 (Xinhua) -- While U.S. President Donald Trump sees an "economic enemy" in China, the northeastern U.S. county of Chester in Pennylvania sees an economic partner.

The county, with an area of 1,965 sq km and about 516,000 people, has long taken pride in its diverse agricultural products. Farmers here produce a whopping half of all the mushrooms in the United States. Soon some of them will grow mushrooms in China, for China.

Chris Alonzo, president of Pietro Industries, a third-generation family-owned and operated mushroom farm, has partnered with a Chinese businessman to open a mushroom-growing facility in east China's Anhui Province. He expects it to be operational by the end of this year and produce 17 tons of mushrooms daily in the beginning.

The partnership could not have been established without the help of Chester County China Initiative (CCCI), a project launched in 2013 by Chester and the Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC) to build business and cultural ties between the U.S. county and China that in turn will bring in Chinese investment and create high value-added jobs.

The program also seeks to increase the number of joint ventures between the two sides.

Alonzo found his Chinese partner when a delegation from China took a tour organized by the CCCI, looking for business opportunities.

For his first project in China, Alonzo will introduce advanced mushroom-growing technology to Chinese employees and be responsible for their training. His partner, on the other hand, is contributing all the funding needed for the project.

The most valuable technologies Alonzo will bring are for making compost and growing mushroom year round.

"The hay and straw we use to make compost can bring nutrients out of it. But unless it's handled in the correct way, you can't get all the nutrients out, which will reduce quality and productivity," Alonzo said in an interview with Xinhua.

By introducing the environment control system he uses in his U.S. facilities, Alonzo and his team will be able to control the temperature, humidity and other elements key to mushroom growing and harvest mushrooms year-round.

"We will be able to have the same quality mushrooms in winter as we do in summer in China," he said.

Fresh mushrooms are only one of the success stories of joint projects between the two countries. The CCCI team is working hard to make similar agricultural projects possible.

Terence Farrell, the county commissioner who initiated the CCCI, said his team is working with a number of partners to explore developing a milk processing plant in Chester or in southeast Pennsylvania that would turn liquid milk into stable dried and shelf milk products, with both potential investors and target customers from China in mind.

The county is also strong in financial service as well as biopharmaceutical and manufacturing industries, according to CCEDC Chief Operating Officer Michael Grigalonis.

Grigalonis said the highly educated workforce and terrific quality of life are the main reasons why many companies choose to headquarter in the county. Local businesses value the Chinese market and have been supporting the CCCI vigorously, he added.

Contract research organization (CRO) Frontage went to the Chinese market fairly early.

The full service CRO lab, which manages clinical trials to help clients bring potential new drugs to the market, opened the first research facility more than 10 years ago on the Chinese mainland and now has multiple clinics and research and development facilities across the country.

Li Song, founder of Frontage, sees huge growth potential in the Chinese pharmaceutical industry, especially after the Chinese government stepped up regulating the drug and medical device review and approval process since 2015.

The company's Chinese business generated more than 21 million U.S. dollars in 2017 from 3.5 million dollars in 2015. It expects to see even faster revenue growth in China in the next five years.

Many local businesses continue working closely with their Chinese partners even at a time when the Trump administration has unilaterally initiated a tariff battle.

Asked about the tariff issue, Farrell said, "What happens at the federal level is beyond my pay grade, but what we want to continue to do is to build bridges between our municipality here and other municipalities and people there that want to do business."

"In the long run, these grassroots kind of efforts to have people-to-people exchanges will benefit not only us locally, but will [also] help set a mood in the country," Farrell said confidently.

In addition to business cooperation, the CCCI team is facilitating cultural and educational exchanges between Chester and cities across China.

Chester has several gardens, which attract tens of thousands of tourists every year.

By 2020, China will overtake Britain to become the largest overseas tourist market for the county, according to Susan Hamley, executive director of the Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau.

She said the county's tourism department has been in contact with tour operators in China, who will soon start selling Chester tourism packages.

"Most people will start by going to New York City and then some will go to Philadelphia for all of the history. We want them to take a drive a little bit further west... and they will get a completely different experience," Hamley said.

Chester is a mere one-hour drive from Philadelphia.

Since more Chinese now have 10-year tourist visas to the United States, they are looking for special vacation experiences rather than just visiting the big cities, she said. That is why Chester has an increasing chance of becoming popular among Chinese tourists, she added.

The promotional efforts have already begun to take effect.

Li Hang, a Chinese tourist to Longwood Gardens, Chester's most famous garden, said he did not find much information on the botanical garden on American travel site TripAdvisor. But he saw many comments and introduction to Longwood on Chinese websites such as Ctrip and Qunar. He decided to visit the garden after reading the reviews.

At West Chester University, professors are looking for opportunities to offer students more international exposure. The university is currently partnering with several universities in China, such as Southwestern University of Finance and Economics and Beijing Union University. It also hosts the Chinese delegations the CCCI brings to the county.

Peter Loedel, interim director at West Chester's center for international programs, sees tremendous opportunities in partnerships between universities and other cooperation and exchange programs the CCCI is introducing.

The world's top two economies may have different ideas about doing things. That is why the opportunities to engage and connect are more important than ever, he said.

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next   >>|

KEY WORDS:
EXPLORE XINHUANET
010020070750000000000000011100001373334881
乐发lv 大发app 凤凰彩票app 乐发iv游戏平台 凤凰彩票大厅 乐发彩票 乐发彩票app下载 大发彩票 乐发v官网 乐发lll 乐发lv入口 乐发iv首页 乐发ll登录 凤凰彩票大厅 乐发官网 乐发ii下载入口 乐发ll 乐发v平台 乐发v官网 乐发lll 乐发lv入口 乐发iv首页 乐发ll登录 乐发lv 乐发lll安装 乐发lv 乐发登录入口 乐发iv游戏平台 凤凰彩票登录 网信彩票 彩神 彩神彩票官方网站 彩神彩票官网首页 彩神官方app下载安卓版 凤凰彩票登录 彩神v3 凤凰彩票app下载 彩神官方app下载安卓版 网信快三 一分快3 快三彩票购彩平台 凤凰彩票官方 快3官网 网信彩票 快3app 网信彩票平台 百姓彩票平台 网信平台官网 快3app下载 百姓彩票 每日彩票 快3app 百姓彩票 每日彩票 快3app 百姓彩票平台 幸运5分彩快3 快3彩票app下载 百姓彩票网站网址 大发10分PK10 快3下载 网信彩票平台 网信平台官网 快3彩票官网app 凤凰彩票官方 彩神彩票 大发10分PK10 彩神v3 大发彩票app下载 百姓彩票网站网址 彩神购彩平台 每日彩票 官方正规快三彩票平台 彩神彩票购彩平台 百姓彩票 凤凰彩票购彩平台 凤凰彩票app下载 彩神官方app下载安卓版 网信快三 一分快3 快三彩票购彩平台 凤凰彩票官方 彩神彩票 大发10分PK10 彩神v3 凤凰彩票登录 乐发lv 乐发∨Il 百姓彩票网站网址 乐发彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 乐发lll安装 百姓彩票网站网址 凤凰彩票app下载 大发10分PK10 乐发2 乐发app 凤凰彩票 大发彩票app 乐发登录入口 乐发ll登录 乐发v官网 乐发官网 大发彩票app下载 凤凰彩票购彩平台 彩神彩票 官方正规快三彩票平台 一分快3 百姓彩票网站网址 凤凰彩票app下载 大发10分PK10 乐发2 乐发app 凤凰彩票 大发彩票app 乐发登录入口 乐发ll登录 乐发v官网 乐发官网 大发彩票app下载 凤凰彩票购彩平台 彩神彩票 官方正规快三彩票平台 1分快三平台 百姓彩票平台 凤凰彩票登录 幸运5分彩快3 彩神 乐发彩票 乐发 大发彩票 乐发iv游戏平台 乐发lv 乐发lll 乐发ii下载入口 乐发彩票官方网站 凤凰彩票官方网站 凤凰快3 彩神彩票官网首页 1分快三平台 百姓彩票平台 凤凰彩票登录 幸运5分彩快3 彩神 乐发彩票 乐发 大发彩票 乐发iv游戏平台 乐发lv 凤凰彩票app 乐发app 网信彩票平台 网信彩票平台 乐发iv游戏平台 凤凰彩票app 乐发lv 乐发彩票app下载 凤凰彩票app 网信彩票平台 乐发彩票app下载 乐发lv 乐发app 大发彩票安卓下载 大发彩票安卓下载 大发彩票 乐发彩票app下载 网信彩票平台 乐发iv游戏平台 彩神彩票 乐发彩票中心 极速快3彩票平台 人人快三凤凰 大发彩票app 大发彩票大全 乐发彩票 彩神彩票官方网站 乐发app 酷天堂彩票平台 凤凰彩票app下载 凤凰彩票大厅 凤凰彩票app 极速快3彩票平台 凤凰彩票 凤凰快3 乐发ll官网 乐发彩票中心 正规快三送彩金平台 凤凰彩票官方 乐发ll 乐发 网信彩票 彩神彩票 彩神彩票官方网站 大发彩票app 网信彩票用户 百姓快三 百姓彩票平台 乐发lv 乐发彩票app下载 彩信平台 网信彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 乐发∨Il 人人快三凤凰 凤凰彩票 凤凰快3 乐发ll官网 乐发彩票中心 正规快三送彩金平台 凤凰彩票官方 乐发ll 乐发 网信彩票 彩神彩票 彩神彩票官方网站 人人快三凤凰 乐发彩票 彩神彩票 乐发iv游戏平台 乐发彩票 大发彩票中心 凤凰彩票登录 凤凰彩票app 彩神彩票 大发彩票 乐发ll 大发彩票app 凤凰快3 凤凰彩票 彩神彩票 乐发ll 凤凰彩票 乐发lll 凤凰彩票大厅 网信彩票 彩神彩票 乐发lv 快盈彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 盈彩网投资平台 大发官网 一分时时彩 乐发lv 快3平台 凤凰快3 乐发ll 全民彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 百姓彩票 乐发彩票 大发彩票 极速快3 乐发app 大发官网 乐发lll 快3平台 凤凰快3 乐发ll 全民彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 百姓彩票 乐发彩票 大发彩票 极速快3 乐发app 彩神iv 大发彩票app 大小单双平台 一分pk10 乐发lv 快盈彩票 乐发官网 快彩彩票 百姓彩票 凤凰彩票大厅 网信彩票 乐发彩票中心 网信快3 乐发 彩神xl 三分快3 大发彩票 大发官网 乐发lll 快3平台 凤凰快3 乐发ll 全民彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 百姓彩票 乐发彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 大发彩票 乐发 分分快3 彩神vl 55世纪 55世纪 凤凰快3 乐发彩票 乐发lv welcome凤凰彩票 乐发ll 1分快3 彩神 彩神ll 1分快3官网 1分快3的平台 welcome凤凰彩票 三分快3 彩神x 彩神vl 凤凰彩票 彩神xl 大发彩票 凤凰彩票大厅 乐发官网 乐发ll 乐发lll 乐发lv 大发彩票app 大发彩票 乐发 乐发彩票 乐发彩票中心 凤凰快3 乐发彩票 彩神xl 腾讯快3 大发彩票 彩神xl 大发彩票 乐发彩票 大发彩票app 快3平台 乐发 1分快3 乐发彩票 彩神x 凤凰快3 彩神xl 彩吧助手 大发彩票app 快3平台 大发排列3 彩神iv 彩神vl 乐发IV 彩神x 一分pk10 大发排列3 乐发lv 快3彩票 乐发app下载 三分快3 快三平台助手 乐发彩票ll 彩神iv 乐发lll下载 盈彩网投资平台 乐发Ⅲ 一分pk10 凤凰彩票 乐发Vll 大发官网 乐发ll 大发彩票 乐发1 凤凰快3 彩神vl 乐发lx 百姓彩票 乐发VI 彩神x 乐发IV 极速快3 乐发 凤凰快3 网信快3 乐发lv 快3彩票 乐发app下载 三分快3 快三平台助手 乐发彩票ll 彩神iv 乐发lll下载 盈彩网投资平台 乐发Ⅲ 凤凰彩票大厅 乐发lv 乐发lv 乐发lv 凤凰彩票 大发彩票 大发彩票 凤凰彩票 乐发lv 凤凰彩票 凤凰彩票 乐发lv 乐发ll 凤凰彩票app下载 凤凰彩票 凤凰彩票 乐发lv 乐发ll 凤凰彩票app下载 凤凰彩票 凤凰彩票 乐发lv 彩神x 乐发 乐发ll 极速快3 乐发lv 乐发彩票中心 快3彩票 凤凰彩票大厅 彩神x 凤凰彩票app 分分快3 网信彩票 网盟彩票 凤凰彩票 百姓彩票 乐发 快彩彩票 乐发彩票 快3平台 百姓彩票 大小单双平台 凤凰快3 彩神xl 一分pk10 乐发lv 三分快3 大发彩票 乐发彩票 快3平台 百姓彩票 大小单双平台 凤凰快3 彩神xl 一分pk10 乐发lv 三分快3 大发彩票 极速快3 乐发ll 网信彩票 乐发lv 全民彩票 凤凰彩票app下载 快盈彩票 大发彩票app 大发官网 凤凰彩票 彩神iv 大发彩票 网信快3 凤凰彩票 百姓彩票