China and Asia are so important to the future of global trade in South Carolina that the state is planning to set up an office in China.

Joe James, chief operating officer of the S.C. Department of Commerce, revealed preliminary plans for the office during a visit to Columbia on Friday by a delegation of Chinese business executives.

The decision to open an office came out of the governor’s trip to China in October, said Clarke Thompson, Commerce’s director for international trade. That office may be in partnership with an organization like the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, which brought the Chinese delegation to South Carolina.

The 10 or so executives from some of China’s top companies and international trade organizations met with Gov. Mark Sanford for about an hour Friday and then heard presentations from about a dozen S.C. companies.

Xusheng Tian, vice president of the China Petroleum Technology & Development Corp., said he has been very pleased by South Carolina’s efforts on behalf of business. He said that has not been the case in other states, like Texas and Oklahoma, where his company routinely does business.

The packed presentation room at the Department of Commerce was testament to South Carolina’s interest in one of the world’s fastest growing economies.

Several more companies wanted to make presentations but couldn’t because of holiday conflicts, said John Ling, Commerce’s manager for Asian trade.

The Chinese delegation heard from S.C. companies, one N.C. company, USC and Clemson University. The companies also got a chance to talk one-on-one with the Chinese executives.

Among the S.C. companies making presentations were law firms with expertise in international business, shipping lines, a manufacturer of custom electric generators, a bulk-loading solutions company, a power tool manufacturer and a specialist in industrial investigation.

The Chinese companies represented were spread across an equally broad range. They included the petroleum industry and companies that make everything from industrial boilers to copier and printer parts, hydraulic equipment to water heaters..

China’s economy is huge and growing and has an appetite for U.S. goods and services. U.S.-China trade is projected to top $170 billion for all of 2003.

“This year, China’s GDP will grow by at least, if not more than, 8.5 percent,” said Zhang Trianquan, secretary general of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

Businesspeople from South Carolina can find huge potential in China, Zhang said

The delegation’s visit was a result of Sanford and Commerce Secretary Bob Faith’s trip to China. The Chinese delegation originally planned visits only to Texas, Florida, and Idaho. However, after a meeting amaong Sanford, Faith, and a high-ranking official from the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, South Carolina was added to the list.

“I’m glad to see that the conversations from our trip are continuing,” Sanford said.

“In China, I witnessed an incredibly dynamic economy that will continue to expand in the years to come,” Faith said “We want to be a part of that growth, and we welcome every opportunity to meet with Chinese business leaders and show them that South Carolina wants to win their business.”