By Dan Verbeck
Kansas City, MO. – Missouri Governor Jay Nixon leaves Friday for a trade mission to China. He boosted it to reporters at a Cargill soybean processing plant in Kansas City.
Governor Nixon said the failed trade hub intended for Lambert Airport at St. Louis could have been a selling point as he pushes Missouri agriculture products to the Chinese-- "It would have added another asset on the table for us. But when you start with a relationship that's a billion dollars a year, almost a billion dollars a year strong, you start from a strong foundation. And I think that I'm trying to lay out clearly to the people of the Show-Me State and that we have a strong relationship we're going to grow. Certainly we're looking for other assets that will help us expand it. But that one bill at one time is not , will not limit our continued growth."
The Missouri GOP blasted Nixon, saying he'd claimed expanded business with China was "unacceptable" during the 2008 gubernatorial campaign and that China imports had cost the state jobs
. Nixon responded, saying the jobs picture has changed and exports to China can only help Missouri grow.