Trip to Asia planned by San Bernardino County officials

As the stock market continues its tailspin and financial firms plead with Congress for a bailout, San Bernardino County officials are planning a trip to Asia with the hope of striking some deals to infuse money into the local economy.

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved $52,000 to send a delegation of seven officials in November to Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul, South Korea. The delegation will be accompanied by representatives from local businesses.

This will be the fourth overseas trip the county has made since 2006 to foster international trade.

The officials from the Economic Development Agency, which organizes the trips, claim the overseas missions have resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in trade for the county.
The agency's Administrator Mark Dowling told the board the trip will foster foreign direct investment in the county.