I was extremely honored to join a delegation of business, community and government leaders on the Governor's trade mission to India at the end of April. I joined the delegation led by Secretary of Commerce and Trade Pat Gottschalk and Secretary of Technology Aneesh Chopra. We sought out new investment opportunities for the Commonwealth and I sought to learn more about the challenges our state - and our nation - will face in this new 21st century economy.
In response to the Soviet Launch of Sputnik, the Kennedy Administration refocused on America's most important priorities - investing in education, building a new generation of scientists and engineers, and launching our competitive space program to the Moon. The challenges we face this century are clearly not the same - but the resolve we'll need to meet those challenges may well be greater.
There is no question in my mind now that if we don't commit ourselves to preparing for this new global challenge - we will be left behind. As I visited India I felt as though I was absorbed into the pages of Thomas Friedman's book The World is Flat. No longer do the barriers of oceans and mountains separate our countries. We are connected by a mere touch of a button. Internet service is readily available in the luxurious hotel lobbies of Bombay and the rural villages of southern India - all connected, all wired, and all ready to compete.
ARRIVAL IN INDIA
After an exhausting twenty-five hour trip, I finally reached our first destination, Delhi. The journey to the hotel was enough to jar me back awake - flying down a road similar to the capitol beltway filled with wheeled motorized rickshaws, a pedestrian pushing what appeared to be an ice cream cart, and even a horse converging into three lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic, a cacophony of sirens and horns. Lane markers were simply ignored. And, thus, the trip began.
In spite of some of the cultural differences, India is a natural and logical trading partner for Virginia companies - an English speaking nation with amazing untapped economic potential. India is the world's tenth largest economy and the world's largest democracy with more than one billion people.
DELHI: TAJ to TECHNOLOGY
Delhi is as metropolitan a city as New York or Los Angeles, a center of commerce, trade and government. The first morning began with a meeting with KC Pant, a former Member of Parliament and Defense Minister of India. We spoke at length about global security and strategic economic planning.
Then, it was off to visit one of the Seven Wonders of the World - the Taj Mahal. And it truly is a wonder. It was built as an expression of love and it still stands today, some 400 years later. Since returning home, I've told my wife Karyn that I will build her one of those one day, but she doesn't seem to believe me.
My first evening gave me the chance to address the Indian festival taking place in Hampton Roads that weekend. We joined a video-conference and visited with friends halfway around the world. I never thought I'd go to Virginia Beach via Delhi.
The highlight of my time in Delhi was our visit to the Indian Institute of Technology - their MIT. Though the facilities are not glamorous, you'll find the best and the brightest of India inside the university's stucco walls. With a student body of only 4,000 in a country of 1 billion, the competition is very rigorous. And, as we visited the campus and met with students and the University dean, it became clear that their education system isn't playing for second place.
While in Delhi we also attended briefings, meetings and receptions with the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and the Coalition of Indian Industry. We also held meetings and events sponsored by the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority to help support capitol-to-capitol air travel from Delhi to Dulles.
CHENNAI AND MUMBAI: PORT, COMMERCE, AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Next, I traveled to the southern port city of Chennai - dubbed the Detroit of India for its auto manufacturing. I left the city and toured rural villages with the state Bank of India and discussed micro-credit loan programs that help start new, small, predominantly women-owned businesses. The visit demonstrated the success of these programs.
The City of Mumbai may as well have been New York or Chicago - the center of Indian movie-making and Indian business and commerce. In all three cities, we were graciously greeted by the US Consular and Embassy officials and held receptions with the Consular heads in each area to talk about building region-to-region collaborative economic development opportunities.
We also visited Gandhi's residence. It was a special opportunity to be in the home of someone whose life was so dedicated to the common causes of peace and justice. It reminded me that in the times of global strife and, increasingly, global conflict, a voice like Gandhi's is sorely needed.
INVESTMENT IN VIRGINIA: BRINGING GOOD, HIGH-PAYING JOBS
This trip was a continuation of Mark Warner's first trip in 2005 - and the relationship building is paying off. We announced nearly $100 million of economic development funds, ranging from new restaurants to steel-making support. Virginia's exports to India were valued at $80 million in 2005 and, as of September 2006, Indian companies had invested $49 million in Virginia.
For far too long, we've heard about good American jobs being exported overseas, resulting in struggling rural economies falling farther behind. I was particularly proud on this trip to help recruit and bring good, high-paying jobs back to Virginia.
We brought new investment. We announced a joint venture between Toshiba, Mitsubishi Electric and General Electric and Indian-based JSW Steel for $80 million. The automation system and complete electrical system engineering is being supplied by offices in Salem, Virginia.
We brought new jobs. Essel Propack, an India-based manufacturer of laminated and plastic tubes for the oral, cosmetic and healthcare industry, will invest $14 million to expand the capacity of the Essel Propack facility and create a state-of-the-art printing center to support both Essel Propack and its subsidiary, Arista Tubes, which is also located in Danville. The expansion will create about 35 new jobs.
We brought new research. Virginia Tech will partnership with research and development organizations in India and Corning Incorporated, a world leader in specialty glass and ceramics, in the development of clean, sustainable energy solutions.
I was very fortunate to participate in this trip and thankful to a group of Virginians who made the trip financially possible so my attendance did not come at taxpayer expense. As well, special thanks to the staff of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership for putting together the trip.
It was an invaluable learning experience and a great chance to work on bringing good, high paying jobs to Virginia.
They must issue "The World is Flat" before you board the plane. Thomas Friedman should have reported that the world is tilted - in favor of multinational corporations.
Did anyone ask Indian officials when we can expect them to stop artificially manipulating their currency - which is what makes offshoring so cheap???
I wish our trade representatives were like Indian trade reps. They drive a hard bargain, while our trade reps give away the farm. I don't expect India to ever stop manipulating their currency unless we punish them with tariffs. More jaw exercise is just futile.
In any event, it is entirely wrong for corporate money to be funding trips to India for elected officials and their staff.
I am not sure who funded this trip to India. I went to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (http://www.yesvirgin...) and could not find where the money comes from. In short I don't know if I should be angry or not.
Although think it is a futile endeavor for Virginia's government to go to India in search of jobs (far more will be lost than created) the governor is within his rights to do that as long as it isn't being funded by corporations and is funded by tax dollars. Voters will decide at the ballot box if they think tax money was spent wisely or not.
So the million dollar question is who funded this trip? Corporations or the state? If it was corporations, I think this is certainly something people need to be aware of. Who paid for meals, travel, entertainment, and so forth? I think we all deserve to know if this was on the up and up.