CRI听力:Michigan welcomes Chinese investment regardless of US national politics: Governor

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is leading the delegation, marking his 6th annual investment mission to China since taking office in 2011. Speaking in Beijing, Snyder says he timed the trip right after the recent US presidential election to show his state's commitment to creating a healthy environment for Chinese businesses, regardless of the overall political landscape in the US.

"That was one of the things we looked at, when we looked at the timing of this visit, for this year. I wanted to do it after the election because I didn't know which one would get elected. But I believed it was a good opportunity to say as a state, we see great value in all the relationships we have been building at a subnational level and how those should continue."

The Governor adds that his recommendation to President-elect Donald Trump will be to maintain a strong and positive relationship with China.

Since Snyder's first trade mission six years ago, Michigan has received 650 million US dollars in new investment from China. Adding on mergers and acquisitions, that figure reaches 3 billion dollars in total.

Michigan is the base of the US auto industry, home to both General Motors and Ford. Recent Chinese investment in the state has mainly focused on automobile manufacturing.

This year's delegation from Michigan is introducing the state's latest promotional campaign called "Planet M," which stands for Michigan - a new plan to try to re-brand Michigan as a hub of transportation innovation, with a focus on developing connected and automated vehicles.

Mike Duggan, Mayor of Detroit - the most populous city in Michigan, is on the trip to China to try to promote the economic recovery of his city. Back in 2013, Detroit, billions of dollars in debt, filed for the largest municipal bankruptcy in US history under the previous mayor. The bankruptcy was eventually settled with the city's major creditors. Now, billing Detroit as America's "Great Comeback City," Mayor Duggan says the city has been showing signs of economic rejuvenation.

"We are seeing business investment come back in a huge way, including the national research institutes for light weight metals and composites that go in the next generation of cars. And we are seeing thousands of young people, millennials, in their 20's and 30's, moving to Detroit, from around the country, and around the world, to start new businesses and engage in new enterprises."

During the delegation's visit to Shenzhen earlier in the week, the two sides entered an Economic Partnership MOU, with the goal of establishing a new Michigan-Shenzhen Trade, Investment and Innovation Corporation Center. That project will focus on innovation and product development between Michigan and Shenzhen.

Another major goal of this tour by Michigan officials is to try to highlight the natural beauty and cultural offerings of Michigan to Chinese tourists. Situated along four of the five Great Lakes, the state's 5,150 kilometers of freshwater shoreline is the longest in the world. Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes have been dubbed by some as the "most beautiful place in America."