Shooting spree forces Va. governor to abandon trade mission

Shooting spree forces Va. governor to abandon trade mission Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine broke off his trade mission to Asia to rush back home in the wake of the massacre at Virginia Tech University, in which an apparent lone gunman mowed down 32 students before taking his own life.
   The school plans to hold a campus convocation Tuesday and Kaine turned around shortly after arriving in Japan to be there.
   He was scheduled to lead a delegation of more than 100 state business and government leaders on a trade mission to India April 22-28 to drum up export sales and encourage companies to locate operations in the state.
   The Democratic governor departed Sunday for Japan and Hong Kong, where he was to meet privately with several companies in an effort to recruit business for the state before joining the rest of the group in India.
   The delegation will visit with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Confederation of Indian Industry and the U.S.-India Business Alliance, among others, in New Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai, the governor’s office announced last week.
   The trade mission will focus on five industry sectors, including global logistics, agriculture, infrastructure, technology, and research and development.
   William P. Dickinson, Virginia deputy secretary of agriculture and forestry, is scheduled to meet with India Ministry of Agriculture officials to discuss reopening the Indian market for Virginia agricultural products. Kaine was to also address Indian companies during an 'Invest in Virginia USA' seminar in Mumbai.
   India is the world's 10th-largest economy
   U.S. exports to India via Virginia reached $93.46 million in 2006, an annual increase of 16 percent. Industrial and electrical machinery were the No. 1 and 2 export sectors, respectively, relegating coal to fourth place at $7.32 million.
   As of September, Indian companies have invested $49 million in Virginia. Virginia's state and local economic development agencies have assisted 24 Indian companies with the establishment of operations in Virginia. From 2002 to 2006, Virginia projects accounted for 5 percent of Indian foreign direct investment announced in the United States.