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Enterprise Florida wants to help remedy the state's vast trade imbalance with China.
In mid May, the state's economic development organization will be attending China's first import exhibition in the south China city of Guangzhou. For a fee of $200, it will take along as many as 50 catalogs from a Florida company that wants to pitch its products to the booming Chinese market. A maximum of 25 Florida companies will be represented.
A spokeswoman for Enterprise Florida said that information technology, freight forwarding, specialty lighting, health care and construction companies are among those that have shown an interest in trying to sell to the Chinese, rather than the other way around.
Florida businesses have some catching up to do. In 2002, the most recent year for which data is available, Florida imported $1.1-billion worth of goods from China. Only half that amount - $550-million - moved from Florida to China.