State officials prepared for China trade

The phones already have started ringing at the state department of economic development with calls from small and medium-sized businesses eager to start trade with China. Department director Joe Driskill says it’s likely to be months before normal trade relations really do resume. But he’s glad so many companies are eager. Driskill says Missouri did a lot of work setting up trading relations with China in the early 90s, but dropped those efforts when political issues got in the way. He says Missouri will be ready whenever the two countries get their differences ironed out.