Alabama Governor Bob Riley opens the 2010 annual meeting of the Southern Governors' Association in Birmingham where state chief executives and a delegation of Chinese government and business officials are discussing trade and foreign investment.

Alabama Governor Bob Riley opens the 2010 annual meeting of the Southern Governors' Association in Birmingham where state chief executives and a delegation of Chinese government and business officials are discussing trade and foreign investment.

Mr. Xing Huidong of the Zhejiang Provincial People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries talks about the latest tourism efforts in the Zhejiang Province, and emphasized the need for more channels of communication between China and the United States.

Alabama Governor Bob Riley introduces Mr. Zhou Wenzhong, Secretary-General, Boao Forum for Asia; Vice President, the China-US People's Friendship Association.

Mr. Zhou Wenzhong praises SGA's efforts to foster economic cooperation between Chinese provincial governments and the American South.

Mr. Zhou Wenzong recognizes SGA as a strong platform for exploring opportunities for economic growth in both China and the United States.

Mr. Shariff Kan, President of Haier American White Goods Group, shares his positive experiences doing business in the American South.

Chinese delegates share their unique interests in collaborating with the American South. (L to R: Mr. Li Hongxin, Chairman, Shandong Sun Paper Industry Joint Stock Co. Ltd.; Mr. Shariff Kan, President, Haier American White Goods Group; Mr. Zhou Wenzhong, Secretary-General, Boao Forum for Asia; Vice President, the China-US People's Friendship Association)

Mr. Zhou Wenzhong affirms that China wants to buy more from the U.S., and shares his hope that the Chinese government will work to remove trade barriers and fuel growth.

Mr. Shariff Kan, President of Haier America White Goods Group, touts the value of the American South's workforce, and emphasizes its positive impact on Chinese companies operating in the region.

Southern Governors and economic development leaders have expressed interest in expanding the presence of Chinese Consulates in the American South. Here, Alabama Governor Bob Riley exchanges a few words with Ms. Gao Yanping, Consul General at the Chinese Consulate in Houston.

North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue notes that her state and the American South are leading the biotech industry, creating jobs and capitalizing on opportunities for innovation alongside other industries, such as agribusiness. (Also pictured: Neal Wade, Director, Alabama Development Office)

José Pérez-Riera, Secretary, Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce, highlights the American South's tourism industry, promoting the region as a travel destination in China. (Also pictured: Maria Haley, Executive Director, Arkansas Economic Development Authority)

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell inquires about the incentives Chinese businesses are most interested in when expanding internationally, and how the American South can increase competitiveness.

North Carolina Secretary of Commerce Keith Crisco, gives background on the South's agribusiness industry in light of opportunities for partnering and/or trading with China.

In Tennessee, Governor Phil Bredesen and Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matt Kisber are working to expand clean energy growth within the traditional automotive industry.

Peter Su, Assistant Secretary of Commerce in Virginia, offers his expertise on opportunities for growth in the South's renewable energy industry.

Ted Abernathy, Executive Director of Southern Growth Policies Board, facilitates a roundtable discussion between state economic development leaders and select Chinese representatives focused on exploring trade opportunities in targeted industries. State secretaries of commerce made a joint presentation to launch the discussion.

Alabama Governor Bob Riley chats with North Carolina Secretary of Commerce Keith Crisco about SGA's ongoing collaboration with Chinese provinces.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon shares a word with Larry Hayes, Secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, about how the South's automotive industry is moving forward.

Claire Reade, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for China Affairs, offered suggestions for how states can promote and expand trade with China.

Alabama Governor Bob Riley opens session four of SGA's 2010 Annual Meeting, in which speakers share perspectives on how states can overcome obstacles to increased trade with China.

Suresh Kumar, Assistant Secretary for Trade Promotion at the U.S. Department of Commerce makes remarks on the Obama Administration's National Export Initiative.

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen is interested in creating an easy, efficient process for moving commerce between the United States and China.

Vice President of the U.S.-China Business Council Erin Ennis focuses on how to overcome trade barriers from a regional perspective.

Suresh Kumar assures Southern leaders that numerous opportunities for federal assistance exist for states in the American South.

A major supporter of increasing trade with China, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen expresses concern over exchange rates.

In Mississippi, Governor Haley Barbour is focused on expanding technological education to continue building the workforce capacity for specific industries, namely automotive.

Erin Ennis, Vice President of the U.S.-China Business Council, advises Southern Governors and economic development leaders about the feasibility of taking a regional approach to doing business in China.

Erin Ennis offers Southern Governors insight on the benefits of partnering with the US-China Business Council to further develop trade relations with China. (Also pictured: Claire Reade, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for China Affairs)

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour discuss their respective states' economic development endeavors with China, and the potential for future collaborative efforts by the American South.

Alabama Governor Bob Riley expresses hope that federal government representatives will remain open to the concept of working with a region, using the American South's efforts in China as a template for increasing innovative foreign investment.

Alabama Governor Bob Riley chats with Claire Reade about the potential for increased U.S. trade with China in light of SGA's efforts to brand the American South as the top spot to do business.

Alabama Governor Bob Riley stresses that SGA will continue to foster stronger business ties with China when North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue assumes the role of SGA Chairman. (Also pictured: Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, left; Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, right)

As SGA's 2011 Chairman, North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue will continue to focus on economic development in the American South with a special focus on technology and innovation.

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour says that Southern states are each other's best advocates: when one state wins, the region wins.