SAN FRANCISCO, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Governor Bill Walker of the U.S. northwestern state of Alaska said Sunday that he is happy to sell Alaska products to China at a time when the U.S. and China reached an agreement that would avert a trade war between the world's two largest economies.
"This news comes on the first day of the Opportunity Alaska: China Trade Mission. We are excited to show the world what Alaska has to offer, and how we can help reduce the trade imbalance between the US and China," Walker said in a tweet with hashtag #akleg #opportunityalaska #strongeralaska.
The U.S. and China Saturday released a joint statement that China will increase purchases of American goods to increase cooperation and avert further trade conflict, Walker wrote in another tweet.
The Alaska governor is heading a delegation of businesses from around the state to travel in China as part of a week-long trade show called Opportunity Alaska.
The delegation is composed of 26 Alaska organizations representing a wide range of Alaska firms, including Alaska Native corporations and members of the education, tourism, seafood, beer and baby-food industries.
Walker's delegation wants to expand Alaska's trade ties with China and find more business opportunities for Alaskan enterprises and firms during its week-long trip in the world's second largest economy.
He also hopes to highlight Alaska's strategic position as the closest U.S. state to China. Walker said early this week that Opportunity Alaska is about building something bigger.
The delegation will visit major Chinese cities of Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province in southwest China, during the trip that began on May 19 and ends on May 26.
According to Chinese official data, China has been the largest trade partner and export destination of Alaska since 2011.
Walker's office said Alaska exported more than 1.32 billion U.S. dollars worth of goods to China in 2017.