US, 19 firms on clean-energy trade mission to China, India

WASHINGTON: The United States Commerce Assistant Secretary and 19 US companies will travel to China and India next month on a clean energy and environment trade mission, the Commerce Department said. US Commerce Assistant Secretary David Bohigian will lead the September 1-12 trade mission, the government's third such mission to the fast-growing Asian powerhouses since April 2007.

"The 19 companies participating in this mission represent the cutting edge of US innovation, which can boost the efforts of China and India to meet their massive energy demands while improving the environment," Bohigian said yesterday.

"We are bringing some of the most exciting technologies to two of the most dynamic economies in the world." The trade official said the mission advances the goals of President George W Bush "to ensure energy security, drive economic growth, and address climate change through industry-led solutions."

According to the US government, the clean technology market in China will increase to 186 billion dollars in 2010 and to 555 billion dollars in 2020, and India, with its abundance of renewable energy resources, could become the largest renewable energy market in the world.

The US mission will be in Beijing, Jinan and Shanghai from September 3 to September 7, when it travels to New Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai. The companies participating include GE Energy, Rockwell Automation, 3 Tier, Synergics Energy Services and Vista International.