Governor Pete Ricketts: A good relationship always has room to grow

What is the current situation of educational cooperation and exchange between Nebraska and China? How do you see future prospects for such cooperation?

Nebraska and China share numerous educational opportunities with one another.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) houses the Confucius Institute, which they created in partnership with China's Ministry of Education and Xi'an Jiaotong University. The Confucius Institute promotes the learning of the Chinese language and culture in Nebraska.

UNL also has an exchange agreement with East China Normal University. Through this agreement the two universities share students, scholars, and collaboration on research. The degree-completion program that UNL shares with Northwest Agricultural and Forestry University and the partnership degree program with Zhejiang University City College allow Chinese students to study in China for two years before they apply and transfer to UNL.

Finally, UNL operates the American Exchange Center in cooperation with Xi'an Jiaotong University. This Center introduces Chinese students to US history, law, medicine, art, culture, and government. The town of Bellevue has a partnership with the Guangzhou College of Commerce. In 2017, 82 Chinese students graduated from Bellevue University as a part of this collaboration.

Partnerships between Chinese and Nebraskan universities have opened many doors for students looking to experience each other's cultures. The current partnerships will certainly encourage our universities to expand their offerings. We have a lot to share with one another in important industries such as agriculture and manufacturing.

Warren Buffett is a business magnate and icon worldwide. In recent years, a growing number of Chinese people, many of whom are business leaders, come to Omaha for the Berkshire Hathaway annual event. How can Nebraska leverage this event to further expand its influence in other parts of the world, especially China?

Berkshire Hathaway's annual event offers a great opportunity for their shareholders to visit with each other, learn more about their investments, and discuss how they can benefit each other further.

I had the opportunity to speak at several events during that weekend, talking with hundreds of Chinese businesspeople. I spoke with companies such as Tencent and Sina as a part of this great annual event. As Chinese citizens come to Nebraska and meet with our people, they want to invest more of their resources in our great state.

What do you think have been the major developments in economic, technology, cultural and other fields since your first visit to China a couple of years ago?

My first visit to China was in September of 2015. Looking back, quite a bit has changed since then. Many opportunities for partnership between Nebraska and China have opened up.

The largest recent development was the reopening of the Chinese beef market to American producers. As I mentioned earlier, this is a huge benefit for both Nebraska and China. China receives our world-class beef products and Nebraska has captured over 50 percent of the market for American beef in China.

China has also come a long way in the field of e-commerce since my first visit. That's an exciting development for Nebraska companies that are looking to get their products out in front of Chinese consumers. I know that our businesses will capitalize on the opportunities presented by e-commerce moving into the future.

What has been your personal experience with this development?

During my first visit to China I had the opportunity to meet personally with Worldlawn President Hardy Shao and with Wang Weiyao, chairman of Jiangsu World Group. President Shao and Chairman Weiyao expanded Worldlawn's operations to a 275,000 square-foot facility in Beatrice within a year of that visit.

I was able to attend the groundbreaking for the demonstration farm in Yangling. I've also had the opportunity to meet and speak with hundreds of Chinese businesspeople and promote investment with Nebraska.

My experience hasn't been limited to just business, though. While in Xi'an, I was fortunate enough to see the famous Terracotta Warriors. I was amazed by this beautiful piece of China's history.

I was also happy to meet with alumni of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) who live in China during a visit to Hong Kong. The UNL Alumni Association and Nebraska Pork Producers hosted the Nebraska vs. Minnesota football game at a Chinese sports center.

What do you expect for the next five years and beyond?

I hope to see China continue to build on the mutually beneficial relationships that they've developed with places like Nebraska and elsewhere in the world.

China has much to offer neighboring countries and states, and they have much to gain in return. I expect that China's market will continue to grow, but shift more toward consumption as the Chinese middle class becomes more affluent.

As Chinese producers and consumers continue to expand their market access and tastes, I know that they will look to Nebraska for world-class products and investment opportunities. Our great workforce, location, and business-friendly environment make Nebraska a prime location for expansion.