PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard is leading a weeklong China trade mission through Friday at a cost of $93,000 for the state.
The Republican believes the trip is worth the expense.
Daugaard is hoping to expand the state’s export markets, building on his two prior trips that resulted in brokered deals.
In an interview this week, Daugaard says there is no specific sales goal for the trip.
His past two trips to China in 2013 and 2012, federal grants have covered most of the expenses.
This time, the state will pay for up to 30 percent of costs of the companies joining Daugaard and the seven state staffers, including some from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and the Department of Agriculture.
