Deval Patrick taking trade trip to Chile, Brazil early next month
The Patrick administration today provided details of a fast-approaching trade mission to South America, a nine-day trip that will take Governor Deval Patrick and a group of government, academic, and business leaders to Chile and Brazil.
Patrick and a small group will visit Santiago, Chile, on Dec. 1-2, which the administration said was “at the request of President Sebastian Piñera to advance partnership opportunities in the innovation economy.’’
In the same statement, the governor added: “To continue our recovery, we need to position Massachusetts for success in growing markets like Brazil, to drive job growth and catalyze international investment.’’
The larger group will then make stops in Brasilia, Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from Dec. 4-9.
The targets will be Brazilian companies, universities, and government leaders, with the aim “to highlight all that Massachusetts has to offer to Brazil,’’ the statement said.
In particular, the mission will focus on the life sciences, information technology, clean energy, and education sectors.
Brazil is currently the seventh largest economy in the world, and is projected to rise to fifth in the near future.
Patrick recently hosted a meeting at the State House with the Brazilian ambassador to the US, Mauro Vieira, and the consul general of Brazil in Boston, Fernando de Mello Barreto, to lay the groundwork for the mission.
Cognizant of the chance for the trip to be labeled a junket, the statement went to lengths to highlight bilateral trade between Massachusetts and Brazil, as well as recent visits to the country by Florida Governor Rick Scott, Idaho Lieutenant Governor Brad Little, and former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.
In addition, the statement noted that former Massachusetts governors William F. Weld and Paul Cellucci led trade missions to Chile during their terms, as did former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Governor Jack Markell of Delaware.
The statement also recounted developments from Patrick’s trip to Israel and the United Kingdom earlier this year.
Besides Patrick, those making the trip to South America include Economic Development Secretary Greg Bialecki; University of Massachusetts President Robert Caret; Massachusetts Biotechnology Council CEO Robert Coughlin; Akamai Vice President Brad Rinklin; and Joel Schwartz, senior vice president and general manager of global new business development at EMC Corp.
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