DENVER - Governor Bill Owens and several Colorado businesses discussed today at a news conference the economic opportunities that exist with the state and China.

Colorado's fifth largest export destination is the Hong Kong/China market. Separating the People's Republic of China from Hong Kong, exports to China rose a staggering 185 percent in 1998, from $51 million to $145 million. Colorado's largest exported commodity is electronics at over $120 million annually.

Premier Zhu Rongji's visit is the first visit by a Chinese leader of such rank since 1911 when Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, a revolutionary who wrote the Constitution for modern China, came to Colorado. Chinese Ambassador Li Zhaoxing visited the University of Denver this past February. The Premier is the highest ranking official within the Chinese government and the third ranking official within the Communist party responsible for the President's Cabinet and the primary economic reformer in the country.