Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall will soon be departing on an 11-day trade mission to South Korea and China with a focus on food and energy.
Starting on Sept. 17, the premier is set to meet with government and business leaders in Seoul, South Korea, Shanghai, Beijing and Qingdao, China.
“We’ll be judicious about it,” Wall said.
“We’re going to keep our costs low as possible and only go when there’s a program worthy of going and I think this is a good one. We want to be able to attract some investment here but also support the sale of Saskatchewan goods in those markets.”
Wall said Saskatchewan and the rest of the country need to look at Asia to keep growing the economies.
“South Korea and China are major markets for us and for the Saskatchewan companies that supply food and energy products and expertise to the world,” Wall said.
Wall added that China is the province’s second-largest export market and that Saskatchewan wanted to explore new trade opportunities.
“We also see a bright future for our agricultural producers in the South Korea market, thanks to the preferred access they will get under the new Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement,” Wall said.
The premier said he will be advocating on behalf of Saskatchewan producers for continued access to China’s agri-food market. He also wants to look at opportunities to increase Saskatchewan’s uranium exports to China.
The trade mission coincides with a Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership trip to South Korea and China.
Representatives of the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission, the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission, Cereals of Canada, the University of Regina, the University of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Polytechnic will also be attending some of the meetings.
This will be Wall’s first visit to South Korea and his third trip to China. It is also the first time a Saskatchewan premier has visited South Korea.
Saskatchewan’s exports to China were valued at $3.36 billion in 2015, while exports to South Korea were valued at $104 million, up from $86 million in 2015.
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