PORTLAND, Maine - Maine Gov. Paul LePage plans to head to Japan and China in October to try to open more trade opportunities for Maines businesses.
The governor will lead a delegation made up of business and education representatives to the two nations. Special events are planned to highlight Maine lobsters and opportunities for investment in the state, according to the Maine International Trade Center - MITC - which is organizing the mission.
In a statement, LePage says representatives of Maine's educational institutions are going along because they're interested in attracting more students from Asia to the state.
In 2014, China and Japan combined imported $281.7 million worth of Maine products, MITC officials say. Leading the list were seafood, biotech and medical products, along with industrial machinery.
The Maine delegation will head to Tokyo Oct. 25 - 27, and move on to Shanghai before returning to the U.S. Oct. 31.