Chinese President Makes Pit Stop in Alaska on Return to China
Alaska Governor Bill Walker welcomed Xi to Alaska in the state’s capital of Anchorage, where the two went on a brief sightseeing tour and spoke about Alaska’s trade ties with China.
``We have tremendous potential in our oil and gas, tourism, fish, air cargo and mineral resource industries,'' Walker said in a statement issued before the meeting.
Xi requested the meeting with Walker, who used the time to tout Alaska’s abundant natural resources and advocate for a gas pipeline that would facilitate export to China.
China bought nearly $1.2 billion worth of Alaskan goods in 2016, according to numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau, making it the state’s largest export market.
Chris Hladick, the commissioner of Alaska’s Commerce Department, told The Associated Press the meeting was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”