Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is leading a China trade mission to promote business and tourism. In the four day trip to Beijing, Mr. Villaraigosa is scheduled to meet with government officials and business organizations, including China Shipping, Dalian Wanda Group and the Chinese Real Estate Chamber of Commerce to encourage the use of LAX and the Port of Los Angeles for the shipment of goods. Among the issues to be discussed is the expanded capacity at the port and the modernization of LAX with improvements at the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
The Mayor's Office estimated there are more than 300,000 local jobs tied to the import-export business. Tourism is a $16.5 billion a year industry for Los Angeles, China has become the No. 1 overseas source of visitors, with 460,000 tourists.
