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Article published Jun 19, 2003
Australia finds trade partner in S.
Carolina
C. Grant Jackson
The
State
COLUMBIA -- An impending U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement
could boost the economic aspects of the sister-state relationship between
Queensland and South Carolina.
"That will provide a whole new range of
opportunities for us," Queensland Premier Peter Beattie said Tuesday.
Beattie
was in Columbia leading a trade and investment mission to the United
States.
He met with Gov. Mark Sanford for the first time. Sanford is the
third governor Beattie has dealt with since he started coming to South
Carolina.
"It was a really good meeting, positive. (Sanford) is a practical
man like I am. There have got to be tangible benefits out of this," Beattie
said.
Beattie began working on a relationship with South Carolina while David
Beasley was governor. The sister-state relationship was developed while Jim
Hodges was governor. An economic cooperation memorandum of understanding, signed
as part of that agreement, expired last year. Beattie said he hopes it will be
revived in some form.
Australia and the United States likely will conclude a
free-trade agreement by the end of the year. The agreement would make it easier
for some goods and services to move between the two nations.
An agreement
would build upon the United States and Australia's already strong trading
relationship, Beattie said.
Queensland's annual exports to the United States
almost doubled to $1.8 billion (Australian) during the 10 years ending this past
June 30, Beattie said.
As part of this trip, Beattie will meet with senior
people in the Bush administration about the impending agreement.
There are
some issues that need to be negotiated, but Beattie is confident those can be
resolved. "I think it is the greatest thing since sliced bread, to be honest,"
he said.
Beattie said he hopes to increase commercial relationships between
Queensland and South Carolina.
Once the free trade agreement goes into
effect, Queensland and South Carolina need to swap major trade delegations, he
said.
There needs to be a matching of businesses that want to import goods
and those that want to export goods, Beattie said.
The sister-state
relationship to date has born more fruit in the areas of education and
culture.
The major commercial success of the relationship was last year's
import agreement between Ballandean Estate Wines in Queensland and Capital Wine
and Beverage in Columbia.
Two Australian companies -- Mincom, a computer
consulting firm, and LicenSys, a license plate manufacturer -- are part of the
Queensland delegation on this mission.
Each company is working on
opportunities in South Carolina, Beattie said.
No South Carolina trade
mission has been to Queensland yet, although sister-state delegations have
visited.
One area Beattie would like to see developed is biotechnology, which
is a special focus in Queensland.
Beattie is leading Queensland's delegation
to the BIO2003 biotechnology industry trade show next week in Washington. He has
invited South Carolina to be part of a networking event that Queensland hosts at
the show.
Queensland can help with South Carolina's biotech strategy, Beattie
said. "We want U.S. partners."