Gov. Jesse Ventura is about to begin the last day of his China trade mission. It's morning in Shanghai, where Ventura will wrap up his week-long promotion of Minnesota products and services. And as the mission comes to a close, the governor and the business delegates accompanying him got a word of encouragement from former Vice President Al Gore.

	"You know China's growing so rapidly that a mission like this, no doubt, can uncover some opportunities for American business. And I'm impressed by the size of this delegation. And I wish them well," said former VP Al Gore. (MPR Photo/Michael Khoo)

Gov. Ventura and former Vice President Gore have a relationship that stretches back several years, and it was the Clinton-Gore administration that invited Ventura to testify before Congress on the importance of paving the way for China's entrance into the World Trade Organization. Gore, who's in Shanghai to attend a technology conference, dropped in on Ventura to offer his support to the governor.

"You know China's growing so rapidly that a mission like this, no doubt, can uncover some opportunities for American business. And I'm impressed by the size of this delegation. And I wish them well," Gore said.

Traveling with Ventura are roughly 100 government and business leaders; the largest delegation to China ever organized at the state level. Ventura say that demonstrates the keen interest Minnesota businesses have in the Chinese market, a point he made with Shanghai's Executive Vice Mayor Jiang Yi Ren. Ventura says he and Jiang also discussed the importance of public transportation, and that Jiang detailed a project to construct a high-speed magnetic-levitation train in the booming metropolis.

Ventura says Shanghai's remarkable growth is due, in part to that sort of vision. "And he reinforced the position that I've taken all along on mass transit. I told him, whatever help, I'd fly him to Minnesota and maybe he can knock some sense into certain members of our Legislature that we're missing the boat," he said.

Ventura has been visibly displeased by the failure of the Legislature to enact a major transportation funding initiative or to approve funding for a commuter rail line between Minneapolis and St. Cloud. His veiled barb at House Republicans, who led the fight against a gas tax increase and rail money, comes as the GOP state convention gets underway.

	Kenneth Yu, left, and Jeff Rageth, the government affairs manager for 3M. Yu says a business deal between China and 3M could be worth more than $100 million over the next several years. (MPR Photo/Michael Khoo)

The governor also took a shot at the media for what he perceives as their pessimism. And he took great pleasure in announcing a contract had been signed between 3M and the Chinese Ministry of Public Safety to create a digital license plate system countrywide.

"The first thing you get from the press when you do these trade ventures or trade, when you go out, is: 'well, what's happening? What will be accomplished here?' They immediately think you need to see something within 12 hours or, gee, it might be a failure. So now I can stick it to them," Ventura said.

Ventura jokingly took credit for the 3M deal, which involves designing a centralized license plate registry with new safety and anti-counterfeiting safeguards.

The managing director of 3M's China operations, Kenneth Yu, says the system will also allow processing of plates - even personalized ones - in seconds. Yu says the contract could be worth more than $100 million over the next several years. And although he says negotiations with Chinese officials had been underway long before the Minnesota trade delegation arrived, he says Ventura's trip is still helpful for future business.

"All the deals you see that are signed in any trade mission didn't happen just because the trade mission is over there, you know. So, but I would say that I'm very excited to see the governor and his delegation taking the time to come over to promote Minnesota," said Yu.

Ventura's day also included a stop at the new Shanghai office of the Minneapolis-based law firm of Dorsey & Whitney. Steven Nelson is the co-chair of the firm's Asia Practice Group. He says the China practice help's companies from Minnesota and across the globe navigate the Chinese economic and legal system, which he says can be a challenge in a country lacking the long tradition of a free, independent judicial system.

"That's changing," Nelson said. "The Ministry of Justice and the government clearly understand that the rule of law is a fundamental precondition for economic progress. And, so, it's not something that comes naturally to China. But it's something they've recognized they have to do."

Ventura's last day in China will include a stop at 3M's plant in Shanghai and a visit with medical technology business representatives to the Shanghai Childrens Memorial Hospital. The governor returns to Minnesota on Saturday.