Day 2: Governor Pence Meets with High-Level Government Leaders & Highlights Indiana-Made RVs in China

Indianapolis – Governor Mike Pence spent the day in Beijing meeting with high-level Chinese government officials and promoting Indiana-made recreational vehicles (RV) at a reception attended by more than 100 business officials at the U.S. Embassy.

“Northern Indiana is the epicenter of the RV industry. That becomes apparent when you travel all the way to China and find Hoosier-built RVs on the road,” said Pence. “Thousands of Hoosiers are building RVs that are then sold globally, including in China. And with the current popularity of RVs in China, tonight was a great opportunity to discuss how more Chinese people can fully enjoy the open road and the great outdoors with an Indiana-made vehicle.”

The reception, co-hosted with the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association, showcased three Indiana-made RVs and highlighted the great potential China holds for both domestic and American RV manufacturers. China is the second largest market in the world for U.S. RV exports, with Chinese consumers spending $68 million on U.S.-built RVs in the last two years. In his remarks, the Governor highlighted that almost 85 percent of the 350,000 RVs shipped just last year were built in Indiana as part of an industry that employs nearly 300,000 Hoosiers.

Earlier in the day, the Governor met with Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China Wang Yang, responsible for commerce, industries, agriculture and trade and a member of the ruling Politburo, as well as several high-ranking Chinese government leaders at the Ministry of Commerce and China Investment Promotion Agency (CIPA). Indiana Secretary of Commerce Victor Smith and CIPA Director General Liu Dianxun signed a memorandum of understanding reaffirming joint exploration of economic growth opportunities.

Indiana counts China as its fifth largest export partner, with exports totaling $1.4 billion last year. Hoosier companies with Chinese operations include Allison Transmission, Dow AgroSciences, Eli Lilly, Hillenbrand and Cummins. Tomorrow the Governor will visit Columbus, Indiana-based Cummins’ joint venture, Beijing Foton Cummins Engine, before the delegation departs for Zhejiang Province, Indiana’s Chinese sister state.

Updates from the Governor’s trade mission to China, including video clips and photos, will be posted throughout the week-long trip here: http://in.gov/gov/China2015.htm.