Washington Governor Eyes China Visit

Washington Governor Gary Locke's final trade mission before he leaves office will be to China when he takes a 10-day trip which will include his first official visit to Vietnam.

The Vietnam visit will include discussion of the growing market for frozen french fries.

Locke is the first Chinese-American governor. He has made four previous trade trips to Asia.

Already a large importer of Washington state frozen fries, Locke will hopefully open more doors for Washington's agriculture products and technology, including fresh potatoes.

His last visit resulted in a commitment by Chinese authorities to complete their "pest-risk" review for U.S. potatoes. A year later, the review remains unfinished.

The mission will try to push for completion of the review because the delegation does not know what held up the process.