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Port of Oakland Joins California China Trade Mission

Press Releases, Seaport, Airport
April 5th, 2013

Press Releases

For Immediate Release
April 5, 2013

Port of Oakland Joins California China Trade Mission

Focus is on overseas aviation and maritime business opportunities that will create jobs here at home; also conducting business meetings in Singapore and Hong Kong

Oakland, CA – April 5, 2013 – Next week Port of Oakland Acting Executive Director Deborah Ale Flint will join the California state trade mission to the People’s Republic of China being led by California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. and coordinated by the Bay Area Council, of which the Port is a member. Prior to joining the state trade mission, Ale Flint will be conducting business meetings in Singapore and Hong Kong, locations of several maritime customers of the Port.

“The Port of Oakland is proud to engage in the California trade mission to China and combine it with face-to-face business development discussions involving our maritime and aviation businesses,” stated Acting Executive Director Deborah Ale Flint. “This is an important time for the Port to meet with overseas maritime business partners to promote our competitiveness as a U.S. maritime gateway of choice, and an opportune time for top officials in China to hear from our state’s leaders about the importance of direct China to Oakland International Airport (OAK) air service that will capitalize on what is forecasted to be a major source of new travel and tourism-related dollars – and jobs – for our state’s economy."

Executive Director Ale Flint will join the California China trade mission in Beijing April 10-11 to conduct targeted meetings focused on development of direct air service between China and Oakland, which could yield as much as $150 million annually in new, positive economic impact for the region. Ale-Flint will then be participating in the opening of the new state trade office in Shanghai on April 12, as well as in a forum focused on agricultural exports to China, one of the strongest markets for Port maritime business. China-Oakland maritime trade totaled $14.5 billion in 2012, more than three times the Port’s second largest trading partner. Prior to joining the state trade mission, from April 6-9, Ale Flint will be traveling to Singapore and Hong Kong to meet with key Oakland maritime trading partners.

For the CA-China trade mission, the Port will be joining a delegation of many of its business partners and tenants at the seaport and airport, and organizations whose members move cargo through the Port, including but not limited to: FedEx Corporation, whose West Coast hub is based at OAK; the Almond Board of California, representing California almond growers who predominantly ship out of the Oakland seaport; and the Wine Institute, whose exporting members also primarily ship through the Port of Oakland. The Port of Oakland is the only seaport, one of two major passenger and cargo airports, and one of three local public agencies that are supporting this historic trade mission.

Please click on these hyperlinks for details on Oakland seaport commodities statistics, OAK’s air cargo business, and an overview of OAK’s air passenger partners.

About the Port of Oakland:
The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, Oakland International Airport, and 20 miles of waterfront. The Oakland seaport is the fifth busiest container port in the U.S.; Oakland International Airport is the second largest San Francisco Bay Area airport offering over 300 daily passenger and cargo flights; and the Port’s real estate includes commercial developments such as Jack London Square and hundreds of acres of public parks and conservation areas. Together, through Port operations and those of its tenants and users, the Port supports more than 73,000 jobs in the region and nearly 827,000 jobs across the United States. The Port of Oakland was established in 1927 and is an independent department of the City of Oakland. Connect with the Port of Oakland and Oakland International Airport through Facebook, or with the Port on Twitter, YouTube, and at www.portofoakland.com.

Media Contacts:

Robert Bernardo
Communications Manager
Port of Oakland
(510) 627-1401
Click here to contact Robert Bernardo

Marilyn Sandifur
Communications Department
Port of Oakland
(510) 627-1193
Click here to contact Marilyn Sandifur