Town Officials Talk Business On China Trip

By John Voket

This is the first of a two-part story on First Selectman Pat Llodra and Community Development Director Elizabeth Stocker’s recent trip to China.

In the early 1800s the first American traders reached China, initiating a trade relationship that has sustained and grown into a multibillion-dollar concern in recent years despite wars and economic and political upheaval on both sides of the globe.

Nearly 200 years after the first American products changed hands in China, First Selectman Pat Llodra and Community Development Director Elizabeth Stocker headed to that exotic destination to help Newtown businesses establish a stake in that global economic relationship.

The two local officials recently took advantage of a couple of open spots on a school district trip to China to begin the process of introducing some of what Newtown has to offer to officials in the progressive industrial city of Liaocheng in the Shandong Province.

And according to Mrs Llodra and Ms Stocker, the industrial and political leaders in Liaocheng appeared very interested in the prospect. The trip also brought the local representatives to some of Liaocheng’s and China’s most popular tourist spots, like the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square, as well as exposing the pair to the vast cultural differences separating residents there from the average Newtowner.

So, do you want crickets with those dumplings?

Yes, besides enjoying that and other unique local fare from seats in the position of high dignitaries at state lunches and dinners, the local officials were shuttled around with an itinerary that brought them to museums, a paper factory, and a huge agricultural equipment showroom the size of an airplane hanger.

VIP Treatment

After being zipped through town in a “motorcade with police escort,” Mrs Llodra’s arrival was the lead news story of the day on Liaocheng’s state-run television news, and she was honored to sit with the city’s Mayor Lin Fenghai to participate in a televised news conference that was piped into thousands of homes in what is also referred to as China’s “Water City.”

“This was the first time an American government official accompanied a school delegation. They treated me like the Secretary of State,” Mrs Llodra told The Bee following her return. “There were lots of TV and press.”

The first selectman said she and Ms Stocker specifically planned to “peel off” from the school tour for an intensive few days of learning about the Chinese economy, its economic and community planning, and to gain a broader knowledge about how businesses there and here in Newtown might work together for mutual benefit.

“Of course Liaocheng is a city of six million, which does not directly compare to Newtown, but it was easy to see where some of Liaocheng’s macro challenges were similar to Newtown’s micro challenges,” Mrs Llodra said. “Their mayor and I were able to share our challenges of managing an economy where infrastructure cannot support growth.

“We found common bonds in that as leaders, we have to be good problem solvers. And while the scale of our communities are different, our purpose is not,” she continued. “I saw similarities in their economy, educational system, their public works, how we share some similar poverty and class issues. And we affirmed that our economy thrives with education — education is a ticket out of poverty.”

Well Received

Ms Stocker said from her vantage point, where she was paired with economic and development officials, Newtown’s outreach was well received.

“I believe there is strong potential for economic ties to several local companies,” she said. “Throughout the visit there was much discussion about what we’re trying to do here.”

Some of the literature Ms Stocker presented to the Chinese officials came from Tier One and Newtown-based Sonics & Materials, Inc, as well as from Connecticut economic and development authorities. She and Mrs Llodra also saw some potential for Curtis Manufacturing to strike up a relationship with the massive paper company they visited, as well as Advanced Fusion Systems, which develops homeland security and utility products.

“I’m optimistic because there is a push with the US Department of Commerce to assist companies with exporting, including to China,” Ms Stocker said. “There was sincerity in their interest, which was clearly shown through how they brought all their staff and top decisionmakers from the community to talk with us.”