The Trip Begins

Beijing -Saturday, March 26, 2005 4:00PM

Saturday started with a 4:00 AM wake up to get ready for the flight to Beijing. This was one of the most important stops on our trip because we were to meet the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board of China's largest computer company, Lenovo (previously known as Legend).

Lenovo has recently acquired IBM's personal computer business and now ranks third in the world in PCs (behind Dell and HP). Lenovo becomes the first truly global Chinese-originated multi-national corporation. They also announced that they would move their global headquarters to the U.S. and we want that headquarters to be in Westchester.

Based upon County Executive Spano's previous efforts in China -- the promotion of Westchester as a global center of technology; the friendships cultivated with Chinese officials; the demonstrated interest in and knowledge about China -- we were able to secure this meeting.

This is not the only success of the County's efforts to ensure that we get our share of the growth in global trade, but it is certainly the biggest coup so far. It doesn't happen overnight, but to put a Chinese like twist to it -- the seeds that are planted over the years do yield the fruits of success.

In addition to getting a tour of their highly automated factory, County Executive Spano and Board Chairman Ryan (with the backs of their heads in the picture below) met in the boardroom with two senior Lenovo executives, including Bai Huimin, who are key to the decision process about where Lenovo will locate its new global headquarters. We described all the reasons why Westchester is their best choice, including the quality of life, talent pool, technological infrastructure, etc. We had a very positive reaction from them and expect an announcement shortly.

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March 2005 Report by Norm Jacknis, County C.I.O.
Westchester County - China Trade Delegation
westchestergov.com